Out of Things Left Unsaid
by juliashappyfish
Summary: Casey must stay at Derek's place after her vicious roommates drive her out of her new apartment. Things start to stir when dormant feelings resurface within Derek. Complete. DxC.
1. Homeless

Out of Things Left Unsaid

**Out of Things Left Unsaid  
**One: _Homeless_

The apartment was quiet. Sam had left to visit his family back home for the weekend. Derek would have gone with him if he didn't have a paper to finish. He managed to get half of it done already and was afraid he'd break his productive trance if he left.

It was nearing midnight when he shut down his laptop and piled his papers messily on the table. He'd be using them tomorrow anyway. His scholarship didn't really allow him to slack off in school. He often had to resort to late night studying.

He was jostled out of his thoughts at the sound of a soft knock. Derek stood up, wondering idly who would visit this late on a Thursday evening. He was surprised to find a disgruntled Casey waiting morosely at his door.

"I give up," she threw her hands up in the air and shuffled grumpily into the apartment.

"You give up?" he repeated, thrown back by her rather random outburst, not to mention her sudden appearance.

She fell back on the couch in a huff, clearly gearing up to vent.

He was not disappointed. "They're like _vultures_," she cried in frustration. "Horrible, devious and _sneaky_ vultures just watching over you, waiting for you to screw up."

She shook her head in disbelief. "How can anyone like them?" She vaguely shot Derek a glance but didn't give him a chance to respond.

"You'll have so much fun with us," she mocked in an exaggerated high voice, clearly in imitation of the perpetrator of her sour mood. "_Right_."

Derek smiled. It had been a while since he'd seen Casey so imperially hacked off. He sat on the arm of the adjacent couch and continued listening to her obediently.

"They're unbelievable," she finished. Her shoulders slumped slightly. "I'm done with it. I'm over it."

Derek raised his eyebrows disbelievingly, but his face softened when she started pouting. She crossed her arms and had her lips pressed angrily together. Though she hadn't actually said what she was talking about, he had a pretty good idea of what she was 'over' and 'done' with.

"Are you having one of your drama queen episodes?" he asked melodramatically. It had the desired effect. Casey glowered at him.

"No, _you ass_."

"Your new place then?"

"Yes," she sighed in defeat, throwing her head back and running her palms over her face. Casey had moved into a joint studio apartment three months ago. Her repeated 'I'm so stupid' was muffled but he heard it loud and clear.

He tried not to laugh. "How many are you in there?" he asked curiously, unable to keep his smile from widening.

She must have detected the amusement in his voice because she moved her head to glare at him once more.

"They're four, five with me. This is so not funny."

"Um, yes, it is." When her glare intensified, he continued in added glee. "It's been a while since I've seen you so angry at something. Forgot how much I enjoyed it."

She rolled her eyes exasperatedly, her scowl was still well in place.

"Now this is the part where you tell me what happened."

She shot him another sour look but conceded. She told him, in a rather colorful language, how one of her 'psychotic' roommates, Catherine, had flipped when she heard that Casey went out with one of her ex-boyfriends.

"Isn't there a strict female code about something like that?" He didn't see Casey doing something of the sort. She was usually very considerate of other people's feelings. Doing the_ right_ thing and all.

"Of course there is. But I didn't _know_ it was her ex, and Stacy conveniently _forgot_ to mention it to me. She denied ever seeing him with me." He thought he heard her growl. Stacy was another one of Casey's roommates.

"There's more. This supposed ex of hers had been with her for barely two months… a year ago," Casey continued agitatedly. "I get that it's the principle and all, but they could cut me a bit of slack."

"Principles are principles, Case. You should know better," Derek jibed in mock-seriousness. _Typical girl drama._

"Shut up," she retorted, visibly trying to contain her smile and shoved him off the armrest in retaliation. "It's not funny. I'm homeless."

"They kicked you out?" Derek said in surprise. "You can't work something out? Do what chicks do best - talk it out or something?"

"Are you kidding me?" She let out an incredulous laugh. "No-_way_. You're crazy if you think I'm gonna stay with them a minute longer. You don't know these girls," she persisted passionately. "_Vultures_, Derek. They will eat me."

This only made Derek laugh harder. He did sympathize with her though. "Hate to break it to you, Case, but you don't look very edible."

She ignored his comment. "Thank God my contract ends this month."

He yawned loudly, starting to feel the strings of sleep pulling hard at him. "You're gonna look for a new place now?"

"That's the plan," she answered tiredly. Derek got up and walked to the kitchen. Casey was close at his heels. He grabbed the juice out of the fridge and poured two glasses. She looked like she was expecting something from him, and he doubted it was the juice.

Then it clicked. "You need a place to stay until you find a new one." It wasn't a question.

She nodded slowly. Derek watched her contemplatively and of course wouldn't have refused her, but that didn't mean it was a great idea. Having Casey at such close proximity might awaken some latent feelings that he'd buried a while ago.

"Please, Derek. It'll only be for two weeks… one if it doesn't work out," she pleaded. "I'll stay with my uncle if I can't find one."

"That lives an hour away from school?" Derek scoffed in disbelief.

"Well, what do you want me to do?" she snapped in agitation. "I have nowhere else to go."

He stretched the cup of juice out to her. "_Fine_, you can crash here until you find one… I don't think Sam will mind."

He tried to repel the mild pinch in his stomach at the sight of her growing smile.

"Really?" she said quietly.

"Yes, Casey. But you're sleeping on the couch." Before he was able to process anything, she had gone around the kitchen counter and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Thank you!" she squealed happily.

"Yeah, alright," he responded, attempting a cool and casual stance. He briefly returned her hug. When she pulled back, she sat on the stool next to him.

"But you can't go all crazy on my ass for the way I live, got it?"

Casey scrunched up her nose, delaying her sip. "What, do you bring girls over all the time, 'cause I don't know if I can deal with any more air headed bimbos."

"No, _I don't_," he said, mildly offended. "And air headed bimbos? Give me more credit."

"Right, okay. So it's cool if I bring in my things tomorrow?" Her eyes twinkled, proud at her obvious dismissal.

He was taken off guard when she wrapped her arms his waist and buried her head in his chest.

"Uh, Case?" She pulled herself back.

"I'm not homeless," she said simply.

"No, you're not." He regarded her strangely, but when she continued drinking her juice in companionable silence, he shrugged it off.

He remembered the small frayed picture of him and Casey buried in his wallet – the one that's been _burning a hole_ in his wallet for the past year. He was so in for it. Two weeks with a mere wall separating him and Casey and it was high school all over again.

Except this time, he didn't think he'd be able to control himself a _second_ time.


	2. The Queen Smells Good

Out of Things Left Unsaid

**Out of Things Left Unsaid  
**Two: _The Queen Smells Good_

"She's staying with us?" Sam said hesitantly over the phone.

"I didn't think you'd mind," Derek admitted, starting to rethink his immediate acceptance of Casey's request.

"Dude, you know I don't mind. I just don't know if it's a good idea for you," Sam clarified.

Derek sighed. "It's been two years." It sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than Sam.

"Maybe, but you sure you could handle a towel clad Casey, or a short shorts Casey?"

"You make it seem like I have no self-control," Derek grumbled, turning his laptop on. Casey had class that afternoon and a shift at work after that. She wouldn't be back until much later.

"It's not that, but… I mean, you guys are older now. No more family to worry about, well that's what it might feel like since you don't live all in the same house anymore," Sam reasoned.

Derek groaned. "But you were attracted to her too…"

Sam laughed. "Yeah, I was. But I happen to have a girlfriend whom I love very much right now"

"_Sap_," Derek interrupted.

"_And_," Sam said, purposely ignoring Derek's comment. "Casey and I dated. Thus, our attraction was somewhat consummated."

"Consummated? What do you do with your girlfriend? Read the dictionary?" Derek joked. Sam's girlfriend was majoring in English and doing wonders to Sam's vocabulary. But, seriously, who used the word 'consummated'?

"Shut up, dude. You get what I mean," Sam said. Derek heard someone talk behind Sam but couldn't make out the words.

Then Sam started laughing. "My sister said you have a case of unrequited sexual tension."

"Oh God," Derek groaned, his head falling desperately on the desk. "Why is your sister listening in on our conversation?"

"When did _you_ become a girl?"

"You should just get drunk and sleep with her, get it over with," a female voice said through the phone.

"_Amy_," Sam cried in distaste. "I don't need to hear you say things like that." Derek sat patiently while Sam and his sister argued on the other line.

"It'll relieve the tension," she continued. He could hear them struggling for the phone.

"_Amy_, geez," Sam grunted.

"Just think about it," Amy finished passionately as the phone was dropped unceremoniously.

He heard a bit of fumbling with the phone and duly waited for Sam to get the phone back on his ear.

"It's like I don't know her anymore," Sam said disbelievingly.

"How old is she now anyway?" Derek asked, slightly amused at Sam's obvious disapproval of his sister's candor.

"Seventeen, dude. She's still a baby," he said fervently.

"Hate to burst your bubble, dude, but we started doing a lot of R-rated things way younger than that."

"Shut up," was his best friend's muttered response. "Look, just don't do something you'll regret, alright? You guys still have to see each other during Christmas and Thanksgiving and shit."

"Thanks for the words of wisdom."

"Always."

He sighed. "See you in a few days." He hung up after Sam bid him farewell. Not a minute later, the phone rang again. He answered absently while he loaded his essay file, thinking Sam had forgotten to tell him something.

"Yo," Derek said into the phone.

"Is that how you answer your phone?" Casey said skeptically.

"Yes, and?"

"Well what if I was your boss or something?"

"It wouldn't be."

"How would you know that?" she shot back.

"What do you want Casey?" He wasn't really in the mood to argue with her.

"O-_kay_, no need to get testy," Casey said defensively. Derek closed his eyes. Amy's words rang through his head. He was _so_ doomed. "Sorry. I'm still breaking into the morning," he lied.

"It's noon."

"_Casey_."

"Okay, okay, sorry. Um, I need a tiny favor," Casey admitted shyly.

Derek laughed. "And what made you think criticizing me before asking for a favor was a good idea?"

"I wasn't criticizing!" she huffed. He could see the affronted expression on her face in his mind's eye.

"Right. Now, what can I do for you princess?"

"You know what? Forget it!" This only made him laugh harder.

"Just tell me, Case."

"You're such an ass."

"Noted."

She let a heavy sigh before speaking up. "My car is in the garage."

That wasn't new information. They had used his car to move all of her stuff in this morning. He would have never imagined that all of her furniture, clothes and books would _smell_ like her too. He was almost afraid of entering his car - he knew it would incite rather inappropriate images.

_Mind out of the gutter, Derek_.

"Yeah…" he mumbled, pushing down his thoughts.

"Well, I managed to get a ride to work, but I don't have a way back," she continued.

"Okay."

"Please?"

"Please what?" Derek said in mock-confusion.

She sighed exasperatedly. "Can you come get me tonight?"

"Can't you ask your waitress friend?" Derek inquired. Casey was the hostess at a lounge. He never pictured her in a scene quite like that one, but she seemed to fit in well enough. The clientele was mostly composed of modern hippies and artsy types.

"She lives like on the other side of the city. Please Derek?" Casey persisted.

"Alright," he relented. "But you owe me."

"I know," Casey said grudgingly.

"It's at the Grumpy's place downtown, right?" Derek asked.

"You remembered!" She sounded surprised.

"Unfortunately," he lied, wanting to diffuse the heat rising up in him. He remembered that night almost perfectly. Casey had been wearing a particularly _short_ skirt that time.

"Yeah, _right_. I know you were surprised. I'm a _great_ hostess," Casey said haughtily.

"You tripped," he recalled.

"_Bah_, don't remind me. That was so embarrassing. And it was once," Casey corrected hastily.

Derek laughed. "And Klutzilla makes a comeback."

"Shut up Derek." He _knew_ she was rolling her eyes.

"You were over-ambitious with your new shoes," Derek added in mock-reflection.

"Well, you'll be happy to know that I bought a new pair with a _small_ heel."

"_Of course_ you did."

"Look, do you know where it is?" she said curtly, clearly not enjoying the memory. He could still detect a hint of amusement in her voice, though.

"Maybe…" Of course he remembered, but _she_ didn't need to know that.

"Corner Bishop and St-Catherine," she said exasperatedly. "Park in the employee section, they won't mind."

"I'm going in?" he asked in surprise. He figured he'd only have to wait for her in the car.

"If you want a free meal, yeah. They let me use the kitchen after work to heat things up if I'm hungry. Anyway, my break is over. My shift finishes at 1. Don't be late."

He smirked. "We'll see."

He heard Casey groan but she probably figured it'd be better to keep her mouth shut. After all, he was picking her up at one am, a time where most people _slept_. "Bye Derek."

0

Music softly filtered through the room when he entered the lounge. He moved away when a group of people walked past him and out the door. His watch read 12:45 and he wondered vaguely if the staff would actually kick the patrons out once the clock struck one.

"Sorry, mate. We're closing up," an English guy, whom Derek assumed worked there, told him.

"I'm here for Casey," Derek offered through his yawn. Casey had woken him up early that morning. He never liked naps so he had just toughened it out for the day.

"Oh, Derek, is it?" At Derek's nod, the guy gestured for him to follow. "She's 'round here, in the kitchen. She's brilliant with the cooking stuff."

"Alright," Derek said simply, laughing at the guy's obvious approval of Casey's cooking.

"Pretty lady too," he added with a wink. Derek raised his eyebrows. The English idiot better not be getting any ideas now. "I'm Tim, by the way"

Derek only nodded in response.

"Casey love, your friend's here," Tim called out, holding the kitchen door open, and walking back to the bar once Casey acknowledged them.

"Come in, Derek" he heard Casey yell back. He was hesitant but there seemed to be no one besides a few waiters chattering happily near the side counter and Casey cooking contentedly. They quickly scurried away when a middle-aged man bustled determinedly through the kitchen from the back.

"I'm not paying you to play, children," he said sternly, though his tone could scarcely be considered mean. Derek was about to follow the flux of waiters when he was halted by a hand on his arm.

"Who are you, young sir?" the graying man said, lightly putting his hand on Derek's shoulder. Everyone aside from Casey had filed out by then.

"Oh, boss, that's my stepbrother," Casey clarified, filling several plates with chicken and pasta.

His whole demeanor seemed to change. "Oooh, of course, of course." He smiled jovially at Derek and tapped him good-naturedly on the back.

"She's a gem, isn't she?" he continued genially. "I'd give her a raise, but I have to wait one more month. You know how it is."

At Derek's confused look, the man elaborated happily. "Can't give her a raise until she's been with us six months. So one more month, sweety." He addressed that last phrase to Casey who smiled bashfully.

The man walked up to the counter separating them and Casey. He tapped on the little ringer in the corner. Not even ten seconds later, a few waiters came back in and thanked Casey. There were only two plates left when they were three in the room again.

"Well, enjoy your lunch, sweet peas. Who's closing up again?" the boss said, frowning in contemplation.

"Thomas is," Casey said through a smile, taking her apron off.

He laughed and exited the kitchen. "Right, of course."

Derek watched him go and was surprised when Casey came up to him and handed him his plate.

"C'mon, hopefully Thomas saved us a seat," she said offhandedly as she followed her boss out.

They walked up to the bar. The seats were almost all occupied. Casey grinned when she spotted two vacant spots right in the middle.

"Scoot over Rena," Casey said as she placed her plate on the clean bar surface. When they were properly installed, the bartender, whom Derek guessed was Thomas, made his way over.

"What can I get you, babe?" he said suavely, smiling roguishly.

_Damn, was everyone after Casey? _Derek wondered adamantly, and slightly exasperatedly.

"Hey!" the waitress beside Casey cried out. "You'll give her a drink, but not anyone else?"

"I seem to recall her cooking you all food," he said, shooting the girl a withering look. "And I refuse to stay later than I should to clean all of your glasses."

He turned his attention back to Casey but couldn't get a word in because the girl interrupted him again.

"I said I'd clean my own glass," she insisted in an annoyingly nasal voice.

Thomas exhaled from his nose, clearly irritated. "Rena, you're the only one who ever complains. I don't let anyone have a drink because even when you guys _promise_ to clean after yourselves, some of you don't."

Derek saw Casey's face turn towards him and noticed she was trying to contain a smile.

"He hates her," she mouthed. Derek watched the rest of the exchange with rapt interest and was surprised when Casey chipped in.

"Just let it go, Rena. No one else is complaining. I won't have the drink if it bothers you so much."

The girl was about to respond when Thomas laughed. "I'm giving you a drink. And your lovely friend here too," he said to Casey but shifted his focus to him. Much to his confusion, Thomas winked at him.

_Who the hell winks nowadays anyway?_

"It's alright, Thomas. I'm sure people think it's unfair anyway," Casey insisted.

"Don't be like that, babe. You don't need to make us food every night, but you do. The least I can do is let you have a drink. Right, Emma?"

The girl to Derek's left agreed happily. "Make her a purple haze, it's her favorite."

Casey was about to protest but Thomas had already started mixing the drink. The roguish smile had reappeared. Derek was starting to really dislike this _Thomas _guy.

"They treat you like a queen," Derek commented once they left the bar, a little surprised at how generally liked Casey was at her workplace. It made a nice difference from her old days working at Smelly-Nellie's.

"I know," Casey said, but it sounded like she still couldn't believe it. She confirmed his thoughts when she continued. "I still can't figure it out."

"And Thomas?" Derek added, trying to sound casual.

Casey sighed wistfully. "He's great, isn't he?"

Derek rolled his eyes in annoyance. _Of course_ Casey would like him.

"And he's so cute," she finished with a pout. Her head fell back on the window. "Too bad he's into men, uh?" And then she laughed. "I would have pulled a lot of things for _him_."

"Did I hear you right?" he said incredulously, a smile starting to form on his lips at her last remark. He chuckled outright when she covered her face with her palms in embarrassment.

"Thomas is like, _perfect_," Casey persisted. "So he just _had_ to be gay. Did you know he's in law school?"

"Casey, Casey… always liking people who are out of your league," Derek said matter-of-factly, glad he needn't worry about this bartender guy. "When will you learn?"

"Shut up. I got over it," Casey answered honestly. "I was devastated for a week, though."

He had to keep his attention on the road because her reoccurring pout was stirring up a storm he'd only been privy to a _long_ time ago.

"Is it just me, or does the car smell like my perfume?" Casey entreated curiously.

Derek's face scrunched up. "It smells like _you_." That earned him a boisterous laugh from Casey and a half-hearted apology.

"Well, at least I smell good," Casey joked.

Derek could only grunt in response. _She had absolutely no idea._


	3. A Charming Plan of Action

Out of Things Left Unsaid

**Out of Things Left Unsaid  
**Three: _A Charming Plan of Action_

"You have serious issues," Derek said, standing idly behind her. It was funny, really.

"Shut up," she snapped.

"I mean, we're looking through a window… to a party… where everyone is already half-drunk," he continued as if she hadn't said anything. "Why aren't we inside again?"

She huffed. "I told you, the girl and I have bad blood. She can't see me."

"I know, but how _bad_ is bad?" he jibed half-heartedly. Apparently, Casey had left her charm bracelet at her old place and it looked like one of her former roommates had personally claimed it as her own.

"I've already told you the story, Derek," she retorted exasperatedly. _Apparently_, the girl had been difficult when Casey confronted her about it too.

"Yes, you have, and it still makes me laugh."

Casey continued searching the crowd, but came short. "_Yes_, you've said that a million times already. I get it, you oaf_. I'm not intimidating._" She made air quotes at the last sentence, recalling Derek's exact words.

He laughed again. "Funny how you come all strong at home, even _work_, but with everyone else, you're a complete wimp."

She gaped at him in incredulity. "Hey! I am not!"

"You are."

"_No_. I just don't like being a bitch," she justified.

"Even if she wasn't giving you back your bracelet?" Derek asked wryly. "I'd say that was a good enough reason to put aside your no bitchiness rule. _And_, you're in college. You don't need to be everyone's friend. "

"I'm not looking to be friends with everyone! I was caught off guard, alright? I wasn't expecting her not to give it back." According to Casey, _all_ her old roommates were _bitchy_ vultures. To say he was amused was a wild understatement.

Talk about bad luck.

"And why aren't you looking with me?" she complained.

"Because I was bribed to tag along, and _maybe_ be a possible source of diversion for whatever crazy plan you had, but _not_ to spy like a twelve year old."

"First of all, you were not bribed. You're not getting anything for this. Tara was busy and y_ou_ had _nothing_ to do. Second, I'm _not_ spying like a twelve year old," she griped irritatingly. "I'm familiarizing myself with the premises."

This earned her a deep chuckle from Derek. "And what's your next plan of action, agent McDonald?"

She rolled her eyes but couldn't keep a straight face for much longer. A small smile crept along her lips.

"_Fine_, you can go Derek. Thanks for _all the help_."

"So you can do something even more stupid?" he said in amusement. "I think I'll stick around." He was enjoying himself after all.

"Gee, thanks for the note of confidence Derek." Casey scanned the area again and squealed when she spotted the girl in question. "I found her!"

"So I've gathered," he said simply in response. "What are you going to do now?"

Casey's shoulders slumped in defeat. "I don't know," she wined, falling against the wall and sitting on the cool grass. "I can't confront her again. She will eat me."

"You keep saying that," Derek said with a smirk, taking a seat beside her. "Isn't there some incriminating information you have that you can hold against her," he suggested.

Casey thought about it for a moment but decided against it. "That would be like opening a can of worms." Derek accepted her answer. Girls have way too much drama among themselves, if you asked him.

"So we came all the way here without a plan?" he laughed after a short silence. "Have you lost yourself so much in this mess that you've disconnected with your abnormally diligent self."

"_Shut up_," Casey mumbled once again.

"Where's the list of rules? The plan of action? The _pep talk_?" he continued to tease.

"Spare me, alright?" Casey breathed in annoyance. "I overheard she was coming here and in a moment of - I don't know- _mindlessness_, I thought I could maybe get it back."

"And mindlessness it was," he taunted. She glared at him.

He didn't even know the charm bracelet was that important to her. "It's the charm we got you on your birthday?"

She nodded solemnly.

"I'll get you a new one with same charms… I'll add an extra one if you want. Can we just get out of here? I'm starving," he offered. He hadn't eaten since his late lunch at 4; it was nearing 11 o'clock by then.

"_No_," she pouted. "It has sentimental value."

It was a goddamn bracelet. _Girls and their emotions_.

"I'll make Ed and Liz get you a new one," he tried.

She shook her head stubbornly. He regarded her seriously and realized that the bracelet probably did mean a lot to her. He had almost never seen her without it ever since she had received it. She hadn't even taken off the brash dinosaur he picked out. Lizzie, Ed and Marty had chosen charms much more appropriate and they slightly clashed with his. But she had still kept it.

"How about this," he started, formulating a plan just as he moved to stand up. "I go in, grab a drink, and drop it on her wrist. She has no choice but to wash her hands, right? So she might take it off."

Casey listened attentively.

"I'll go in the bathroom with her, turn on the Derek charm." That earned him a dramatic eye roll from Casey, but he went on. "I'll leave the door open and you grab the bracelet and scram to the car. Sounds like a plan?"

Casey's face scrunched up in thought. "Could work," she finally said. He didn't wait any longer. He glided towards the front door and went straight for his target.

The tall girl, more like the culprit, was standing lazily in hall, leaning on the table. Derek made a beeline to the kitchen and quickly grabbed a beer before anyone spotted him. The girl, whom Derek knew to be named Vanessa, was still in place.

Time to shine.

He spotted Casey trying to look discreet and had to applaud her inwardly for not looking too obvious.

"Hey ladies," Derek greeted, slurring his words just slightly. He had even walked a bit crookedly. He never did things half-way. _Was he not the lord of lies?_

The girls giggled. That was always a good sign. He focused his attention on Vanessa, whom was indeed wearing the charm on her right wrist. It looked somewhat different, lacking or something.

"Why are three beautiful ladies standing here, all alone?" The comment was for all of them, but his eyes were entirely focused on Vanessa. Her expression turned seductive. She reached her arm up and lightly placed her hand on his arm.

She was right where he wanted her to be. A little more flirting had her almost leaning on him.

It was at that moment that someone bumped on him forcefully. It was earlier than he would have liked, but the opportunity wasn't going to present itself a second time. The drink mostly fell on him but he made sure some of it ended up on her right arm.

"I'm so sorry," Derek apologized, hoping that her two friends wouldn't follow her into the bathroom. He wasn't in luck. Her friends seemed insistent on keeping an eye on their clearly inebriated friend. Perhaps it was the wise thing to do, but it didn't bode well with his plan. He caught a glimpse of Casey near a corner and gestured to the two cronies. She seemed to have understood.

It was all up to him.

He and Vanessa entered the bathroom and the moment they stepped in, things took an awfully strange turn. He saw her wink at her friends as she closed the door on their face. And then she was pushing him hard against the wall and pressing her lips frantically to his.

_Shit_. He tried to think of a nice and clean way out of this situation but thinking was proving to be hard when she was moving against him _like that_. He couldn't _not_ respond.

Right when he was about to give in, a loud knock interrupted them. "Hey, some people need to use the bathroom!" some female voice yelled. It sounded like Casey.

Vanessa giggled. "Ignore her." She slipped her hand under his shirt. The knocking persisted. He was torn between feeling angry at Casey or incredibly relieved. Realizing he'd probably be in a world of trouble if he didn't diffuse the situation soon, Derek pulled away.

"How about we find a bedroom instead?" he said breathlessly. She nodded vigorously. She was about to open the door when Derek suggested they clean up a bit, as they were still wet from the spilled beer.

She laughed, but he was glad to see that she agreed. And true to his assumption, Vanessa divested herself of the bracelet and dropped it unceremoniously on the counter. This was it. He opened the door.

Casey looked angry, but she didn't waste any time. She spotted the charm and grabbed it before Vanessa realized that Casey was even there.

"Hey! That's my bracelet," she cried out, pushing Derek aside to see the supposed offender. If looks could kill, Vanessa would probably be laying unconscious on the floor.

"I don't think so," Casey seethed in a near whisper. "Where's the dinosaur?"

And that's when Derek realized what was wrong with the charm the first time he noticed it; the dinosaur was gone.

"It was ugly. I threw it out," Vanessa quipped bluntly. "It was a worthless charm anyway."

Honestly and truly, _if looks could kill_, Vanessa would have died _twice_.

Casey was fuming. She was about to lunge forward when Derek stood steadfastly between them.

"Easy there, Case," Derek said worriedly. He heard Vanessa yell out an angry, "you know her?" and grinned in response.

"Stealing is a sin, babe. It was nice meeting you, though. Vanessa is it?" She gaped at him in disbelief. He didn't let her respond, he just grasped Casey's hand firmly in his and dragged her quickly out of the house.

Luckily, it had been too crowded and too loud for anyone to have noticed anything out of the ordinary. They made it to the car in record time and Casey hopped in the passenger seat grudgingly. She sat, quietly furious while he drove them home.

"I'll get you a new dinosaur. A prettier one too since the last one might have been a bit, um, inappropriate." It was an attempt at a joke, but Casey's demeanor didn't change. "Come one, Case. You got your charm bracelet back. I mean, yeah, there's a charm missing but at least you got back what's rightfully yours."

Casey remained unresponsive.

"And did you hear her? She was practically sputtering when you put her in her place," Derek persisted, but to no avail. "Seriously, case. There's no point in getting overly dramatic about this."

When she stayed silent, he sighed in defeat. She probably just needed to cool off. He flipped the radio on to stifle the silence. An unknown electric guitar riff came on. It was a CD, probably Casey's as she was the last to use his car. Hers was still in the garage.

He listened aptly when he noticed it was a cover of a Justin Timberlake song. "Seriously?"

"Yes," she muttered. The song must have had a calming effect on her because she pushed the replay button. She sighed. "It's John Mayer playing."

"Seriously?" he repeated, a smile spreading on his lips. "Must be a dream come true for you." Two of her favorite artists fused into one song.

He hadn't even noticed his body was tense until his muscles relaxed at the sight of her small smile.

"_Idiot,_" she mumbled as her forehead fell on the windowpane. He was happy to see that she was trying to contain a bigger smile.

"Where'd you find this, anyway?" Derek inquired, realizing the subject seemed safe at the moment. He wasn't prepared for her answer, though.

"Ralph," she declared softly, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Ralph?" he repeated dumbly, pulling into the building's parking garage. "As in DRock's drummer, Ralph?"

"Yes."

"How did that happen?" He had barely spoken to Ralph, ever since high school.

"He's in one of my classes," Casey explained.

"He's goes to UoT too?"

Ralph, _in __college_.

Then again, _Derek _himself had been able to get into college, and if Derek could get into college, then it should have been possible for anyone. Last he remembered, though, Ralph was failing miserably during their senior year.

"He started this semester," Casey said tiredly, stepping out of the car.

"Seriously?"

"Is that your word of the day?" Casey said sardonically.

He loved Casey's fiery retorts, but she was starting to grate him. He really didn't need to be at the receiving end of Casey's bitterness after all the things he'd been doing for her lately. He was tired and _still _hungry, and he really wasn't in the mood.

He exhaled exasperatedly. "I didn't know, alright? Don't bite my head off."

"Well, if you had kept in touch, this wouldn't be a problem," Casey snapped.

Derek followed her into the elevator and frowned. "Why are you angry with _me_? What did I do?"

She had the audacity to roll her eyes. _She_ rolled her eyes at _him_. He stopped at the foot of the apartment door and waited for a clearer response. Upon his questioning look, she huffed. "You didn't need to stuff your tongue down her throat, you know?" She crossed her arms obstinately and turned away.

It took a moment for him to understand what she was talking about. _Oh_. "Me and Vanessa? Are you kidding me? I was there to get _your_ charm bracelet… you know, the one you've been moaning about since yesterday."

And there it was: the flicker of fiery light in her eyes that always drove him absolutely crazy back in high school, in _more ways than one. _

Damn Casey and her temper. It always fueled him more than it should.

"Well, you didn't need to have some kind of grope fest in the process!" she argued adamantly. _Funny she should say that_. The only person he'd ever even imagine having a grope fest with at that particular moment would be _her_. But that is nor here nor there.

He opened the door in case their fight turned ugly, or into something entirely different that should probably stay private. "You don't even know what we were doing, Case."

"Like I couldn't tell when you opened the door," she scoffed irritatingly. Derek shook his head, wondering where in God's name she was coming from.

But as soon as she flared with anger, she deflated. "I'm sorry, that was out of line."

Derek shot her a baffled look, incapable of understanding how a person can shift moods so fast.

"I'm just frustrated and I was taking it out on you," Casey confessed wearily. Derek watched her carefully but accepted her explanation. It was either that, or she was_ jealous_. But he didn't want to go down that road. He was already pumped from his earlier tease encounter with Vanessa and the image of an angry Casey; he honestly didn't need more fuel.

After Derek had properly satisfied his stomach, he whispered a quiet goodnight to an already tucked in Casey and went to bed himself.

He didn't fail to notice, however, that Casey was still clutching the charm bracelet safely in her palm.


	4. A Stone and an Unfulfilled Coffee Crave

Out of Things Left Unsaid

**Out of Things Left Unsaid  
**Four: _A Stone and an Unfulfilled Coffee Crave_

"Your sister is hot," Alex said as he leaned on the kitchen counter and stole the cereal box from Derek's hands. Alex was on Derek's hockey team. Unfortunately, he also lived a floor down.

"_Step_sister," Derek corrected, narrowing his eyes at his friend's blatant show of interest and grabbed the cereal box back non-too gently.

Amy, Sam's sister, laughed. She had arrived that morning so she'd catch their game that night.

Alex threw his hands up in the air in surrender. "_Stepsister_, got it." He shook his head in a wistful fashion and shot Amy an amused look. "She's feisty too."

Derek rolled his eyes in annoyance, knowing where Alex's train of thought was heading.

"Don't even bother. She'd never go for you," Derek told him, trying to sound nonchalant. Casey's taste in men had shifted dramatically after she broke up with Max. She started going for the laid-back, usually artsy types. One thing he knew for sure, though, was that she was never one for messy guys. She might be a ton less neurotic, but she still firmly believed in keeping things organized and clean.

He noted his roommate's smug smile and continued. "You're a slob." He crunched on the corn pops loudly and watched Alex frown.

"Dude, you're a slob too. She's lived with you for what, two years? She's probably used to it," he argued. Derek rolled his eyes at his teammate's line of reasoning.

"Three years actually, and we fought all the time," Derek said.

"Oh my god, you should have seen them," Amy quipped, munching on her toast.

"But you guys get along fine now," Alex shrugged. He filled his cup with orange juice and looked back at Derek determinedly.

"Years in the making," Derek waggled his fingers in front of his friend's face. "And you're a manwhore, so back off."

"Whoa," Alex chuckled. "Overprotective, are we now?" Derek merely glowered in response.

Amy muttered something that sounded strangely like 'jealous' but he chose to ignore it.

"I mean, if Casey wants me, I'm not gonna deny her." Alex shrugged casually, a smirk playing on his lips. He looked at Derek intently, trying to gauge his reaction.

"She _won't_. And I'm serious, back off," Derek added. He just wanted to get the point across. Alex had met Casey the previous night when he came to play video games with Sam. And according to Sam, his impudent friend had flirted with Casey the whole evening.

"Are you serious?" Alex chortled in astonishment.

"_Yes_, shithead." Derek closed the cereal box and made to leave the kitchen when Alex stopped him.

"Casey's a big girl. She can make her own decisions," he persisted, crossing his arms in defiance.

"Yes, _I know_, but I don't want you scamming off of her," Derek admitted, knowing Alex really was a womanizer.

"Fine, you are her step_brother_ after all. Warning noted," Alex conceded flippantly, probably amused by Derek's obvious distrust. It's not like it was uncalled for anyway.

In fact, Derek was pretty sure that the only reason Alex was even here this early was because he wanted to run into Casey. Fortunately, she had already gone to the library.

The girl was going to dig herself into the ground one day.

"Is she coming to the game? Or at least to the party?" He waggled his eyebrows at the last part. Derek glared at him.

"I don't know."

"And you, beautiful girl?" he said, addressing Amy. She giggled.

"This _beautiful girl_ is still a minor," Derek grunted tetchily.

"Aw, Derek, you said I was beautiful," she said cheerily, pinching his cheek.

"And a minor," he added. He had grown fond of Amy over the years and genuinely saw her as family. The seventeen year old was beyond mature for her age too.

She laughed. "Either way," she said, looking back at Alex. "I'm taken."

Alex nodded sagely and Derek brightened when he realized Alex was getting up to leave.

"So what are going to do today? Big game against Ottawa tonight. Not gonna spend it puking all day?" Derek grimaced. Alex just _had_ to make conversation. Not to mention that it was a topic he wasn't too keen on thinking about. Big games always made him nervous.

Alex seemed to have noticed the change in demeanor. "You okay, dude?"

Derek dismissed him with a nod.

Luckily, Amy cut in. "He just needs to do something to get his mind off of the game. He'll be fine."

"Sure?"

"Yeah, dude. I'll be alright. I think I'll take care of some errands."

Alex sent him an incredulous look but took the hint. "Okay, See you later, then?" He tapped him good-naturedly on the shoulder and smiled roguishly at Amy. Derek watched him leave with growing relief.

After a short moment, he finally grasped the keys lying on the counter. "Come on, we're going to the mall."

0

How he ended up in Babylon Mall was a mystery to him. Well, not really. He couldn't find a decent charm at the mall next to his apartment, so Amy suggested they find another mall.

Fortunately, his quest for a nice replacement charm wholly distracted him. And Amy was pretty good company. He still hadn't puked yet, and that was always a good thing. His game that night was bound to create all kinds of nervous tics that afternoon. He parked his car a few spots away from the entrance.

_Perfect_.

On his way, they passed by a hippie-esque accessory store.

"Ouh, let's go in here," Amy jumped in excitement and entered the store without waiting for a response. Honestly, he just wanted some coffee, but he followed her in anyway.

"This is said to have the power to increase the wearer's attractiveness to the opposite sex," the jubilant sales lady said. The young girl clutching the stone in her hand frowned but nodded politely.

Amy smiled and turned her face away to hide her amusement. The girl probably chose the stone because she thought it was pretty.

He wandered deeper into the store where he noticed a strange variety of necklaces and bracelets were on display. He sifted through them and scowled when he realized all of them involved _some_ kind of stone, and were too big to go on a bracelet.

"Hello, can help you?" a female voice said from behind him. Caught off guard, he jumped slightly back in startle. Where did Amy go?

He backed away once again and turned to face her. He was surprised to see that it wasn't the old lady he had witnessed earlier, but a much younger and soft-looking girl.

He looked around the lady and spotted Amy talking to the other sales lady.

"Are you looking for something in particular?" she asked calmly. In fact, there was something _eerily_ calm about her. When she continued looking at him expectantly, he caved.

"I was looking for a charm," Derek explained, realizing too late that what he said could easily be misunderstood.

"A charm?" the blonde perked dramatically.

Derek was quick to respond. "For a bracelet. A charm for a bracelet."

If Derek weren't slightly freaked out, he would have laughed when her face visibly faltered.

"Oh."

"But I guess you guys don't have," Derek said hastily as he started moving towards Amy.

"Well, we can make you one," she said off-handedly.

Derek stopped. She could _make_ him one?

"Choose the stone and I'll chain it so you could put it on your charm bracelet," the girl continued, obviously having detected Derek's peeked interest.

Derek deflated a bit, but after a moment of thinking, realized it might not be such a bad idea. "Alright, but I don't know what stone to pick," he thought out loud, looking around.

"Is it for your girlfriend?" she entreated, gesturing towards Amy. Derek's eyes widened.

"Oh, no no. She's not my girlfriend. And it's not for her. It's for another girl."

"Your girlfriend?"

_Why_ was this sales lady so intent on knowing if it was for his girlfriend?

When he didn't respond right away, she looked back at him imploringly. "Not really," he managed to sputter. She regarded him skeptically but then a knowing expression formed on her face.

_Not really_? What kind of an answer was that?

"I see," she muttered calculatingly. "Is it for you then?" she added humorously.

"No," he retorted, a bit too quickly. He shut his mouth when he finally took note of her big smile.

"It's for a girl," Amy answered instead.

She laughed. "So I've gathered." She stretched her arm out to the counter and grabbed a big book. She opened it to the index page. "So what kind of girl is _this girl_?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, is she particularly clever, or witty or pretty?"

Derek thought about it for a moment. "She's particularly clever, witty _and_ pretty."

She smiled and rolled her eyes in amusement. "I should have known. Ok then, is there something she does or likes that's particularly her?"

"She likes to knit," he offered uselessly. Amy rolled her eyes at that.

"She likes to knit?" the girl repeated in mild disbelief.

Derek shrugged.

"What, did you just meet this girl?" she joked, earning a deep laugh from Sam's sister.

He frowned "_No_."

"Then think of something that makes her _her_," she demanded boldly. Derek was thrown back but was once again strangely compelled to respond.

"I don't know, many things," Derek said agitatedly.

"That doesn't help me," she sang tauntingly, leafing through the book absently. "You're never gonna be able to impress her if you can't even remember what makes her special."

_Excuse me?_ "Who said anything about impressing?" _What did this girl know, anyway?_

"Oh please, it's obvious that you care about this girl. You look all flushed and flustered over choosing a silly little gem stone," she reasoned haughtily.

Derek gaped at her. He was _not_ flushed _nor_ flustered. "I think you're reading too much into this, lady."

"Kim," she corrected. "My name is Kim."

"Actually, I think Kim's got a point," Amy added importantly. She smiled at the sales lady.

"Well, _Kim_, I think you've misunderstood my intentions," Derek shot back in frustration.

"Have I?" she said simply. He opened his mouth to retort when she put up her hand up to silence him. "Alright, alright, if you say so."

"I do say so."

She walked up to the counter and gestured for him to follow her. He rolled his eyes but trailed after her nonetheless. "What's her name?"

"Casey," he answered cautiously. She nodded.

"And her birthday?"

"November 2nd," he said automatically. It only occurred to him later how quickly he _remembered _that.

"Of?"

"1986."

"Okay, so it should be topaz, or if you prefer, the citric stone... if you wanna be unique," she finally suggested as she walked away.

"You know her birthday! That's so cute!" Amy said in excitement.

"Of course I know her birthday, I lived with her," he justified.

"Please, _I_ barely remember my brother's birthday," she retorted smartly.

"Well, I'm good with dates like that," he muttered.

When Kim came back from the back store, she had something fisted in one hand and a metal string in the other. "So which one will it be?" She deposited two small gemstones on the counter as she leaned down and brought up some tools.

Derek looked at the light blue stone and the yellow one attentively. _Blue, definitely_.

"I have coin pearls too. Very pretty, especially if you really wanna _not_ impress her," she added. Derek glared at her. "Just throwing it out there. Pearls are the mystical stones of November, you know."

"I'll take the blue one, thanks" he said, ignoring her comment.

"Nice," Amy concurred quietly.

"Good choice. Topaz is rather popular," Kim said happily. After charging him, she started working on the stone. Working faster and more gracefully than Derek would have imagined, she carefully circled the string once vertically and once horizontally. Before he realized it, she had finished and gave him the gem with its new loop.

"Good luck," she said, winking before leaving to serve the next customer. He placed the gem securely in the upper-pocket of his jacket. He walked out and immediately spotted the Second Cup he was practically dreaming about in the car.

Thankfully, it wasn't full when he reached the cash. He was about to order when he heard a _very_ familiar voice call out, "Case, can you get me the caramel syrup from out back?"

_Ralph._

The other voice was even _more_ familiar. "Yeah, I'll be right back." His head whipped towards the voice and he was able to catch a glimpse of Casey's retreating form.

In a Second Cup uniform.

Casey_, in a Second Cup uniform_.

He looked back at Amy who had a similar confused look on her face.

"Hi, can I help you?" a perky brunette greeted him from behind the counter.

"Yeah, you mind calling Ralph for me?" Derek asked.

"Is there a problem?" the girl asked worriedly.

"No, no. why would there be a problem?"

"Well, the first thing you ask is to talk to the manager… all serious and grave. I just thought, I don't know... I'll go get him for you," she said hastily as she approached Ralph and gestured towards him.

A wide grin appeared on Ralph's face. "Derek," he said jovially, washing his hands and wiping them with a towel. He brought his hand up once they were dry. They shared a handshake Derek was surprised he even retained after all these years.

"D, it's been a while," Ralph laughed, looking genuinely happy to see him. It made Derek feel kinda guilty for not keeping in touch.

"Yeah," he said demurely. "Man, you… look different."

And it was true. The guy was taller and leaner and generally less awkward. It was a nice change if Derek were to admit it.

"Alright," Ralph said in amusement, gesturing to the side so that the cashier can serve the customers behind him. "Amy?"

"Yeah! You remembered me, that's so awesome," she said merrily.

"Hey, Ralph, was that… um, Case back there?" Derek finally asked.

"Yeah, you didn't know she was working today?" Ralph said as he took off his work apron.

"What do you mean, _she's working today_?" he inquired as his eyes narrowed. Casey better not be sporting a second job, or so help him, he was going to throttle her.

_Goddamn workaholic Casey_. She was digging her grave.

Ralph regarded him as if he were stupid. "_I mean_, she's on the schedule today. The _only_ day she works here. Like she's been working for the past four weeks."

_Four weeks_? "She's been working here for _four weeks_?"

"Yeah… I thought you and Casey were friends. Isn't she staying with you now?" Ralph asked teasingly. Derek glowered at him.

"We _are _friends. But I guess she's refrained from keeping that particular information from me," Derek muttered, glaring at the doorway Casey had gone through.

"I'm feeling some hostility man. Does it really bother you that she's working here?" Ralph inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"It bothers me that she's working here when she has another job and classes to think about," Derek explained. Ralph raised both his eyebrows this time and exchanged a look with Amy.

"Casey works too hard," Amy said wistfully.

"She has another job?"

"Yeah, I thought you and Casey were friends," Derek said, throwing Ralph words back at him. Of course, he wasn't really angry at Ralph.

He was angry at Casey.

"Hey, come on man," Ralph implored, shaking his head.

Derek sighed. "Sorry," he mumbled. "You know, Nora gave me this two hour lecture before we left for university about how I was supposed to keep an eye out for her in case something like _this _happened. _Fuck_."

Then Derek's eyes lit up. "You're the manager, right?"

At Ralph's doubtful nod, he continued. "Can you fire her?" he whispered, leaning forward.

"That's a horrible thing to say, Derek," Amy cried.

"Yeah, well, what am I supposed to do?"

"Talk to her, maybe?"

"It won't work. Ralph, please?"

Ralph shook his head almost immediately. "Dude, she's been working really hard, trying to catch up to everyone and all, especially since she's only here once a week. I can't do it, sorry."

"Ah, _please_, Ralph?" he pleaded. "Casey would bite her toes off before she listened to me."

When Ralph shook his again, Derek sighed. "Can I borrow her then for a few minutes?"

"Yeah, I'll go get her," he said obligingly, probably glad Derek hadn't insisted. It was rather unexpected how Ralph stood firm and tall about his decision.

"What are you gonna tell her?" Amy inquired suspiciously.

"I don't know," he mumbled.

"Just don't blow up on her."

"Amy," he admonished, rubbing his palms over his face.

"Sorry. Just giving you friendly advice."

It was at that moment that Casey finally came to his table. She was watching him attentively, as if expecting him to blow up any moment. When he just stared back, she nervously took a seat.

"Hey Amy," she greeted with a half-smile.

Amy hugged her. When they disentangled, Casey looked back at him.

"I'm gonna disappear now, I think," and with that, she exited the store.

"I know what you're gonna say," she started.

"Yeah?" He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back on the chair.

"And I can handle it." Her tone was determined, as if she was gearing up for a fight.

Derek let out a disbelieving breath of laughter. "Right."

That might have been the wrong to say, or maybe the right, because her eyes narrowed and her face rapidly shifted into an annoyed expression.

"_I can_," she repeated more firmly.

"Yeah until you start losing sleep and have a nervous breakdown."

She rolled her eyes. "Stop being dramatic. I'll be fine."

"Really?" he said incredulously.

"Really," she shot back snootily. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to _work_."

"You're quitting this job, Case," he said with finality, standing up too.

Casey huffed. "Says who? _You_? Hate to break it to you, _D_, but you're no one to give me orders."

It was a surprise they weren't yelling yet. She turned to leave but was halted when he grabbed her arm. She looked around them, making Derek take in their surroundings. It seemed that they had attracted a few onlookers. "Stop being so stubborn," he said in a softer voice as he loosened his grip. She ripped her arm out of his grasp.

"Stop being a _controlling_ ass," she whispered fiercely back.

Derek was indignant. "_Controlling ass_? Excuse me if I was just looking out for you."

"_Please_, you just don't want my mom kicking your ass. Well, you don't need to worry about _that_, no one will be telling her anything," she scoffed resolutely.

"We won't need to when you go fucking crazy. Stop being stupid," he said, matching the harshness in her tone.

She was about to retort when Ralph placed himself between them. "Sorry guys, but we're gonna have to break this up." He gently pushed Casey towards the counter and heaved a sigh of relief when she complied. He looked back at Derek.

"Look, maybe she has a reason for having two jobs?" he suggested quietly.

"Yeah, whatever," he grunted. He moved away from Ralph, grabbed Amy – who was standing gaping near the entrance – and left the store without another word.


	5. Slip, Slip, Slip and Let the Games Begin

Out of Things Left Unsaid

**Out of Things Left Unsaid  
**Five: _Slip, slip, slip, and Let the Games Begin_

Derek's anger diminished almost instantly the moment he stepped on ice. True, this game was pretty important, but his nerves were shot from something else completely.

He tried not to think about the conversation he had with Amy on their way back home but it was proving difficult.

"_You know, I think Ralph was making a point," Amy admitted quietly. She pressed her seatbelt shut and looked at him expectantly._

_Derek frowned. "What do you mean?"_

"_Casey probably _does_ have a reason for having a second job," she continued reflectively. _

"_Yeah. She's crazy," Derek scoffed. It wasn't the first time that Casey tangled herself in a hundred and one commitments that we're going to eventually drive her crazy._

_But Amy clicked her tongue. "_Derek_."_

"_Casey's one of those people who tries to squeeze in as many extracurricular activities as she can," he explained. _

_Amy's face scrunched up in disapproval. "Having a second job is an extracurricular activity?"_

_Derek sighed. Obviously, Amy was _not_ grasping the issue. "No, I mean that she just has to keep herself busy all the time… has to be doing something."_

_Amy's expression turned pensive again._

"_She's an over-achiever," he said as an after-thought. "And she doesn't know it's just gonna all blow up in her face." _

_There was a long silence after that as Amy watched the road outside. _

"_Or maybe she needs the money," she suggested thoughtfully._

_Derek shook his head. "She's on a scholarship." Amy was about to retort when he continued. "And her dad pays for the rent. So all she has to pay is for food and extra stuff… which she can do with _one_ job." _

"_Well, what about the collective apartment she was staying at? Was it expensive?"_

"_I don't think so. She told me it was really cheap."_

"_And her car?"_

And that's when it hit him. _Her car_. He brushed his thoughts away as soon as the buzzer rang. He had a game to play.

0

Derek was ready to apologize when they got to the party. Amy and Casey had gone over to Tessa's so he never got the chance to do it after the game. This wasn't to say that he wasn't angry at her anymore.

Because he was. Did she think she was _Wonderwoman_ or something?

He was glad to hear that she attended the game, though. At least that meant that she wasn't enormously furious with him.

It was half an hour into the party when he spotted Ralph. He groaned. He did owe the guy an apology. He wondered how Ralph had even ended at the party, though. It was probably Casey's doing.

"Hey man," he said as he approached his old friend.

Ralph smiled. "Hey."

"Look Ralph, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to blow up like that-" Derek started to explain but Ralph shook his head.

"It's cool dude. I should have known you and Casey haven't really changed your fighting ways," he laughed. Derek relaxed. Why, _why_ did he not keep in touch with Ralph? _Seriously_, the guy was beyond cool.

A girl came up beside Ralph at that moment. "Hey, Derek, right?" the brunette told him. He realized that it was the same girl that had greeted them at the coffee shop.

He nodded, stretching out his hand.

"I'll tell you the truth. At first I thought you and Casey were having a lover's quarrel," she confessed whilst laughing and shaking his hand. "But Ralphie here told me you guys were step siblings." She grabbed Ralph's hand and waggled her eyebrows at Derek. Her and Ralph exchanged an amused glance at the implication in her tone.

Derek didn't even bother commenting. Ralph seemed to have noticed Derek's sour expression and nudged him. "D, I think you should throw her a bone. It's not really all sunshine and flowers for her right now."

"She told _you_ why she's sporting a second job?" he said incredulously.

"Well, you didn't really give her a chance," Ralph said boldly. Derek wanted to reply to the bait but decided against it. Ralph was _right_. He sighed instead.

"Maybe now you can," Ralph added, gesturing towards the door.

And there she was, in _that_ shirt, and looking like this party was the last place she wanted to be. It contrasted amazingly with a zealous Amy beside her. A high school girl's dream: a college party.

Derek smiled.

Amy spotted him and waved enthusiastically before coming over to him. He was surprised to see Casey being easily dragged after her.

"We won!" she jumped up and hugged him.

He laughed. "We did." She clapped a bit more and finally asked him where her brother was, when he pointed to the kitchen, she turned around. Casey was about to follow her but he grasped her arm before she got too far.

"So you're just gonna ignore me now?"

She glared at him. "That was the plan."

Derek sighed. "Don't you think that's going to be a bit hard with you sleeping under the same roof and everything?"

That was _definitely_ the wrong thing to say. And he was supposed to be such a _smooth_ talker.

"Well, I get out of your way if you're gonna be like that," she said bitingly.

"_Be like what_? You're the one who's not telling me things!" he couldn't help but shoot back.

"That does _not_ give you the right to boss me around and patronize me," she rebutted with equal indignation.

"Hey, hey, hey," Amy said. And for a second time that day, someone had to come between them before they ripped each other apart. "You guys don't give up, do you?"

She handed Casey a drink and shook her head at Derek. "Come on, there's these really cute guys over there. One of them has been smiling at me for the past five minutes."

And he thought Amy was on _his_ side. Damn girls and their stick-together rules.

He spent the next hour trying not to look at Casey and the twenty guys surrounding her but he wasn't very successful. His self-containment broke when his eyes followed Casey to the kitchen, where Alex was unfortunately lounging with Sam and his girlfriend. He got up. He needed a drink anyway.

The first thing he was greeted with was Casey's loud boisterous laugh, at something _Alex _had said. He hadn't noticed he was scowling until Amy nudged him.

"Being a bit obvious, don't you think?" she quipped. He glared at her. He hadn't forgotten how she sided with Casey. "Just apologize, Derek," she said softly. When Casey laughed again, he approached the happy duo.

"Can I borrow her for two seconds?" Derek said, shooting Alex a look that gave him no other choice than to comply. Thankfully, Casey didn't pull away too.

Everyone chose to evacuate the kitchen at that moment. He made a mental note to thank them later.

Casey sighed, and leaned back on the counter behind her.

"I'm sorry," he said honestly. She regarded him thoughtfully, but her face turned defeated after a moment.

"Okay, so maybe I should have told you," she admitted reluctantly. "Maybe I was afraid you'd tell my mom."

_Yes you should have_, he wanted to say but refrained. He nodded instead.

When she didn't elaborate, he exhaled. Casey had always been difficult. "Your car?" he asked knowingly. When her hands roved in her wavy hair and squeezed, she mumbled an almost inaudible "yeah".

"Can't you put it on your credit card? How much is it anyway?" he asked curiously. Casey's usually really good with stuff like this. He was surprised she even was in a financial jam.

She groaned. "Eight hundred."

Derek's eyes widened. "Wow, what the hell happened to it?"

"I don't know! Something about a new transmission or something," she muttered miserably.

"I told you you shouldn't have trusted that guy when he sold you that piece of junk," he huffed in aggravation. She never listened to him.

"Thomas said it was good," she said in defense, crossing her arms over her chest and doing that pout thing that always drove him crazy.

"Thomas is gay!"

"_Derek_."

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Can't you put it on your credit card and pay a bit of interest?" he proposed. Wasn't that the smartest thing to do anyway?

Casey looked down and seemed to be avoiding his eyes.

"Case," he goaded sternly.

"Well… you know how Edwin and Lizzie are going to Paris with school next month?"

Derek closed his eyes.

Casey rushed on to explain. "Well, they were a couple of hundreds short and they didn't wanna ask my mom or your dad 'cause they already had paid a pretty hefty deposit. Edwin didn't wanna ask your mom. And Lizzie didn't wanna ask dad and it was all really messy. And really, what was I supposed to do?"

"_You could have told me_," he said in disbelief. He couldn't understand, for the life of him, why Casey would keep something like that from him. They were _his_ family too.

Casey looked away in shame. She mumbled something but he didn't catch it. "What?"

"You bought them a digital camera last Christmas," she repeated softly.

And with a pang of guilt, he realized that perhaps Casey felt out staged. And much to his distress, she added, "you're like the cool brother from college."

He sighed sadly when he noticed her wringing her hands nervously. "_Christ_, Casey," he breathed out, at a loss for words. He didn't _do_ sensitive, but Casey always managed to make him do things he normally wouldn't.

His face contorted in panic when her eyes started watering.

She looked away. "I'm sorry."

_She_ was sorry?

He stood awkwardly, watching her try to contain her tears. "Case," was all he managed to say.

"I just," she breathed and sniffed. "I just wanted to do something nice and help them out, you know?" Her speech turned blubbery half-way through. She sounded dejected and his guilt escalated.

Then she apologized _again_.

"I'm so tired," she said in a soft voice that very nearly broke him.

'_It's not really all sunshine and flowers for her right now_,' he recalled Ralph telling him earlier today. _God_, he was stupid.

So for the very first time in all twenty-one years of his life, he deliberately _hugged_ Casey.

Honestly, he didn't know what _else_ to do. She easily relaxed in the embrace, and he was glad when he felt her lightly returning the hug.

Her next few words were muffled in his chest and his breath caught at the intimate feeling. "What am I going to do?"

He pulled back but kept his arms around her. She looked utterly crestfallen.

"Case, just let me-" he started, but she was too quick.

"No."

"_Case_," he repeated more severely.

"_No_." She shook her head frantically. "Absolutely not."

"Have you lost your vocabulary?" he tried to joke so as not to get angry.

She wasn't feeling the humor. He pulled back and leaned back on the island, facing her. "And I can't convince you?"

She shook her head again.

He huffed exasperatedly. "So what's your plan?"

"I'll just work a bit more," she said as if it was the most obvious thing. He raised his eyebrows at her.

"Did I not just hear you say _you were tired_?" Derek shot back. She blushed.

After watching her for a moment, he finally settled on a plan of action, however upset she might become over it. "Let me pay for something, quit your Second Cup job and I won't tell Nora."

Casey gaped. "So we're back to this?"

_This_ was familiar territory. Not sensitive-comforting Derek and vulnerable-crying Casey. But he wasn't going to take the bait. He walked up beside her so they were touching shoulders and looked up to the ceiling in exasperation.

"We're not back to _anything_. Come on Casey. You can pay me back," he said pleadingly. She seemed to relax at his tone. "When's the last time you volunteered at the community theatre?"

She sighed. "_Fine_," she relented. He moved in front of her.

"You didn't answer my question."

She rolled her eyes. "I don't know, maybe a month," she mumbled grudgingly.

He sent her a pointed look.

"Alright, alright! I get it."

"That's right."

He was caught off guard when, after a brief moment, she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I thought we got over all the mushy stuff."

But she only hugged him tighter. "I guess not then?"

She still didn't let go. "So what exactly am I suppose to do to get you off me?"

Because her body pressed up so close to him was starting to affect him. The fact that she smelled good wasn't helping either.

"If you tell Edwin or Liz of this financial arrangement, I _will_ kill you," she said as she pulled away and adjusted her clothes.

He smirked. "Got it."

"How do I look?" she asked as she straightened up.

_Fucking gorgeous_. "Um."

"My mascara leaked, didn't it?"

It did a bit, but she was _Casey_. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small compact mirror. She cringed at her image. "Oh, God," she groaned. And for some unexplainable reason, it was immensely amusing.

"It's so not funny," she whined. "We're lucky people didn't walk in on our little exchange."

This only made him laugh harder. "Correction, _you're_ lucky."

That earned him a half-hearted glare.

"And I'm sure people _did_ walk in but knew better than to go _all_ in," he said.

She hit his shoulder in response and he was enormously glad they were on normal terms again.

"This still doesn't solve my problem," she muttered. "Amy would know what to do."

When Derek sent her a confused look, she gestured to her face. Before he even realized what he was doing, his hand came up to her face and gently rubbed under her eye with his thumb. Her breath caught and he pulled his hand away as if he'd touched fire.

_Shit_.

His eyes fell to her mouth when she involuntarily bit her lower-lip.

_Shit_.

His eyes shot upwards and, in fleeting panic, realized she had caught his gaze. "I'll go get Amy for you," he said hastily, practically running out the kitchen.

_Shit_.

0

It was strange. After Amy spent a whole of twenty minutes with Casey in the bathroom, Casey looked much chirpier. He figured it was because Amy was naturally good with comforting people.

He and Casey didn't spend much time together for a while after that. She spent most of her time mingling around with Amy and Sam's girlfriend. At least they weren't hanging around Alex.

Derek was lounging lazily on the couch when Casey joined him again. He was watching in amusement as his teammates made a fool of themselves with a drinking game. He had smoothly declined when they tried to goad him into the match. He opted for a single beer for the night instead. He wiggled out Sam's car keys from his pocket when Alex insisted. Derek was the designated driver for the night.

Sam and Derek rock-paper-scissored earlier that day and he lost.

"I can drive if you wanna join them," she said through a smile. She was sitting close enough so that her knee almost touched his.

"It's alright."

"Really, I can come get your car in the morning," Casey persisted. He laughed. "Knock yourself out, seriously. You guys won! Go Varsity Blues!"

She said the last part loudly and in that cheery way she used to do back in high school. It earned her excruciating loud cheers from the whole room. And much to Derek's dismay, one of the guys started yelling, "Slip, slip, slip."

"Fuck," Derek muttered under his breath. He grabbed Casey's hand and practically ran out of the living room. He groaned when someone blocked their way.

"Dude, _move_," Derek grounded out.

"Rules are rules. Aren't you Derek Venturi?" the guy asked.

"It doesn't matter. Look, just let me pass, alright? Last time I played this game, I couldn't get rid of the girl the whole night," Derek told him almost desperately.

"Your lady friend doesn't look like the type."

"Well, it depends what this game is," she said casually. Derek looked back at her. His eyes widened when he saw the big smile plastered on her face.

"Someone's gonna pour alcohol on your neck and the guy has to lick it off until it starts to smell like mint," the guy explained happily.

"Mint?"

"_Casey_," Derek groaned. Simon, the team's goalie, was going to spot him any minute now. He always scoped Derek out first. He had a history of bailing out.

"They give the guy two mints before."

"Oh."

"Yes, _oh. _Now let's go" Derek shot back, shoving the guy gently away and proceeded out the room.

"Derek!" Simon boomed from behind him. "You aren't chickening out on me, are you?" Derek realized his efforts were useless when Simon started making chicken noises.

"I'm sorry, Case," he apologized.

He almost fell back at her response. "Can you take more than two?"

_What?_

Simon seemed to have noticed Casey's acceptance and winked at her. He didn't even wait for Derek's approval and shoved four mints into his palm. "'Cause I'm a nice guy," Simon whispered.

Derek glowered at him but took the stupid mints. It wasn't helping that Casey was tying her hair up. _Why_ was she so willing?

Simon wasted no time. After Derek swallowed the last of his mints, Simon poured a fair amount onto Casey's neck. She cringed from the cold, but other than that, seemed entirely too amused with the situation.

She laughed at his hesitancy. "Will you just do it already?"

When had something like _this_ become okay in their relationship?

But he did, he inched his face to the base of her neck and started licking his way up. He felt her shiver but continued. He just wanted to get this over with. He was happy to know that they weren't the only ones doing it. Not to mention that they were in a fairly secluded place and not many people were watching them.

When he was finally satisfied with his work, he pulled back and apologized again.

"It's okay, Derek." Then she turned to Simon and tilted her head to the side. It made him want to do it all over again. "How'd he do?" she asked Simon.

Apparently, he did well, because Simon started cheering loudly and moved on to the next person.

0

They left the party at around two am. Sam and Alex were way beyond hammered by then. Amy was tipsy but Derek was glad to see that she was still coherent and mildly coordinated. Since they came in two separate cars, it was Derek, Sam and Alex in Sam's car, and Amy and Casey in his car.

He was surprised, though, when half and hour after he, Sam and Alex got home, they still weren't there. Amy answered Casey's phone when he called.

"What's up, D?"

"Where are you guys?"

"_Aw_, is Derek worried?" she cooed as she giggled. Maybe she wasn't as coherent as he thought.

He huffed into the phone. "Are you guys fine or not?"

"Oh, we're _fine_ alright. _Fine young woman_," she laughed. He heard Casey groan.

"That was lame, Ames," he heard Casey faintly say.

Amy was still laughing. "Yeah, but it was _funny_."

It wasn't long before Casey was laughing too. "Gimme the phone, Amy," he heard her say, mirth laced in her tone. The phone scratched in his ear a bit before Casey's voice came on the line.

"Do you want pepperoni or all dressed?"

He perked up at the mention of food. "Well, that depends where you're going."

She laughed again. "Pepperoni it is, then."

"_Al's Pizza?_"

"Yup."

"Ah, I could kiss you right now." Almost anyone could win him over with food.

"Hmmm, now I know the way to your heart," she said coyly. "I'll see you later, Derek."

He spent the next few minutes contemplating the comment but was halted when the girls returned and he was presented with food. _Food_.

They ate mostly in companionable silence. He set up the couch for Amy soon afterwards while Casey took care of the dishes.

"I can't believe Sam's parent's let her miss two days of school," Casey said off-handedly once Amy was carefully settled on the couch and sound asleep.

Derek smiled and took a seat at the island. "She's on Spring Break, Dumbo."

"Oh," she blushed. It might have been too dark for anyone else to notice but that's how well he knew her face.

A sudden mischievous look appeared on her features. "So where's my kiss," she said in embellished casualness.

He gaped at her. First, there was her easiness with the drinking game. That is, the _sexua_lly implied drinking game. Granted, it might not _really_ have been sexual, but that's how it felt for _him_. And now, it almost sounded… like she was _flirting _with him.

_Alright_, if Casey wanted to play this game, he was going to play it.

"I said I _could_," he corrected.

He smirked when she shrugged demurely. "Did you want me to?"

"Well, I got you food."

His grin widened. "And you think that merits a kiss?"

"_And_ I let you drink alcohol off my neck," she added.

"I see, I see," he said in mock-reflection. "So me graciously letting you sleep in my living room isn't enough for you?"

She thought about it for a moment. "You've got a point," Casey finally admitted, sighing melodramatically.

"And it's not any girl that can say that _the_ Derek Venturi drank off their neck."

Casey rolled her eyes.

"In fact, I think _you_ owe _me_ a kiss," he continued, surprising even himself.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Definitely," he said all stern and firm.

She sighed in mock-defeat. "If you say so," she relented, stepping closer to him. He didn't think she'd actually do it. He relaxed slightly when she leaned up towards his cheek.

Much to his shock, though, she softly kissed the corner of his lips instead, _even_ lingered a bit.

"Goodnight, Derek."


	6. Hello, Little Black Dress

Out of Things Left Unsaid

**Out of Things Left Unsaid  
**Six: _Hello, Little Black Dress_

"_I love it, I love it_, _you love it_, _you love it_," Casey sang, her voice ringing through the apartment. It couldn't have been later than nine in the morning. Since Sam had already left for class, Casey had given herself the liberty of cranking up the music, despite the fact that _he_ was still in bed.

Granted, the music wasn't _really_ loud. But still. He could only tolerate so much 90's R&B. _Where did Casey_ find_ this music?_

"_Every time, every time, we touchin', we touchin'_," she continued with the music. He groaned into his pillow, shifting uncomfortably on the bed.

Damn Casey. "_I want it, you want it, I'll see you, I'll see you, in the morning, in the morning_."

_Jeez,_ who wrote this song?

She skipped the next few lines. He decided getting up now was as good as ever and groggily made his way out of bed. As soon as his foot hit the ground, Casey resumed her singing. "_I'm gonna put you to bed, bed, bed. I'm gonna put you to bed, bed, bed_."

Damn R&B singers. Leave nothing to the goddamn imagination.

He trudged to the door and had to wince at the sight that greeted him. Sam had barged into his room early that morning on pretence of looking for a lost paper, but then quietly warned Derek of Casey's current state of undress. He thought Sam had just been teasing him.

He wasn't.

"Derek?" Casey called curiously, having spotted him at his door, gaping at her. She seemed to have realized her choice of clothing, or lack thereof, and looked down at herself sheepishly.

"Sorry, it was warm in the apartment and I was sorting out my stuff." She crossed her arms over her chest protectively. _Bad move, Case._ It only made him look more directly at certain parts of her body.

"It's okay," he shrugged, trying to be casual.

He moved past her and could feel her gaze on him as he shut the bathroom door behind him.

He was going to have to settle for a cold shower.

0

"I'm not going alone," Derek persisted adamantly, trying to refocus his attention on his textbook.

"You have two tickets dude. What the hell?"

"Yeah, and who do you suppose I take, Einstein. Ms. Moore next door?" Sam shuddered at the mention of their senile cat-smelling neighbour.

"How about Leila from your economics class… she seems into you," Sam suggested.

It was Derek's turn to shudder. "A bit _too_ into me."

Sam sighed exasperatedly.

"It's too late to ask anyone anyway. The stupid event is tonight," Derek added as if that settled the whole thing.

"And whose fault is that?" Sam pointed out dryly.

"When did you get all Casey on me?" Derek shot back, huffing in frustration. He hated these classy events _anyway_. He was a hockey-uniform type of man. No tux. No tie. Just the jockstrap and all the heavy protection gear.

"Casey!" Sam said suddenly. Derek shifted his gaze onto his best friend and sent him a questioning look. "You can take Casey!"

Derek let out a bitter laugh. "Uh, I don't think so."

"You're a whuss."

Derek offended gasp quickly turned into a growl. He knew on some level that Sam was right.

"She's working," he tried.

"Well, maybe she can get off. You said they liked her, maybe they'll cut her a break." Derek shook his head.

"Dude, you won't know unless _you ask_," Sam scoffed in aggravation. "You've regressed man."

"_Hey_," Derek finally shot back. "Casey's not exactly any girl, alright?"

"_I know_. That's why if you don't ask her, I'll ask her _for _you," Sam continued, grabbing the phone for emphasis. Derek quickly shot up from the couch.

"_Fine_." He wrenched the phone out of Sam's hand and dialed Casey's cell phone number. "And I am _not _a whuss."

Sam shrugged, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Hello," Casey said happily into the phone.

"Hey Case," Derek greeted back, avoiding Sam's knowing look.

"Derek, what's up?"

"You working today?"

"Yes, at Grumpy's, my only job if that's what you're asking," Casey muttered.

"No, no, that's not what I was asking. I just, urm, wanted to know if you were working." He could hear Sam laughing quietly beside him.

"Derek, I always work on Friday's," Casey said skeptically.

"I was just asking, jeez," Derek said, getting frustrated at his lack of eloquence and smoothness today.

Thankfully, Casey laughed. "Okay. Why, did you wanna take me somewhere?" she said flirtatiously. He was seriously starting to think she was up to something.

He was going to cut right down to it then. "Well, there's this classy gathering type thing that the hockey team has to attend tonight and I have two tickets and I have no one to go with."

Casey laughed again. "Seriously? I didn't actually think that's what you wanted."

"Look, it's cool-," he started to say but she almost immediately cut him off.

"No, no. I'll see if I can get someone to cover for me."

"Oh, okay. Cool, I guess."

"I'll talk to you later and tell you, alright?" she reassured. He could hear shuffling on the other line and a quick goodbye before she hung up.

When he put the phone down, he finally took note of Sam's Cheshire grin. "I don't remember it being an event the hockey team _had_ to attend."

Derek groaned and shoved his friend before settling back on the couch and _not_ getting any reading done.

0

It seemed Casey found a replacement rather quickly. In fact, she had called a mere hour later to tell him that she would be able to go after all. She was very giddy about it too. She was even happier when he told her it was a tux and tie type of event.

Apparently she had called Tessa, who was obviously going with Sam, so that they can get ready together.

That's how he and Sam found themselves driving up to Tessa's apartment and picking both girls up. And honestly, he was not expecting what he saw when he entered the one bedroom apartment. Tessa was one of those lucky people who lived alone. She was also slightly older than they were and had her own jewellery workshop.

The living room was littered with clothes and shoes everywhere. Derek was shocked to realize that some of this stuff were Casey's - that is, _clean-organized-structured_ Casey.

The music was blaring and he reminded himself to reprimand Casey for listening to _Britney Spears_'s new CD.

It was still relatively early so they installed themselves in the kitchen and opened the bottle of apple cider Tessa always buys. She was addicted and got all three of them into it too.

And that's when _Casey_ entered the kitchen. A very _stunning_ Casey at that.

She casually strutted into the room until it clicked in her head that both Sam and Derek were watching her. She looked up and blushed adorably. She readjusted the form-fitting black dress and smiled timidly.

"What do you think?" she asked them both. When Derek couldn't form a coherent phrase, let alone thought, Sam answered instead.

"You look beautiful, Case." She beamed up at him and adjusted the dress again.

"It's not too much?" Casey worried. When he shook his head, she smiled widely. Derek was saved from giving his own answer when Tessa called Casey back to her room.

Once she was out of sight, Sam nudged Derek none too gently. "Way to be obvious, D."

"Well it's not my fault she had to look like _that_," he grumbled.

"You've got it bad, man."

Derek sighed. _There was really no point in denying it, was there? _He banged his head on the table.

It wasn't long after that that they finally left. He had to make constant valiant attempts not to stare at Casey's rather large exposure of skin.

The hotel hall room was already full when they arrived. They found their table and after greeting the coach and several other team-mates, sat down.

"My shoes have already started to pinch my feet," Tessa muttered, making both her boyfriend and Derek roll their eyes. By the time the dance floor started to fill up, he was no longer able to count how many times his and Casey's skin brushed in one way or another.

And when they actually shared a dance, he was almost positive all those touches weren't accidental. He was about to ask Tessa if she was aware of anything Casey might be up to, but something caught his eye.

His gaze swiveled in the general direction of the bathroom and saw none other than Vanessa entering the girl's washroom after Casey.

_Uh oh_.

He was glad to see Casey exiting the bathroom soon after.

"Ugh. I can't believe Vanessa is here," Casey huffed as she angrily slumped back on her chair.

"Who's Vanessa?" Tessa asked curiously, taking another bite out of her salad.

Casey's scowl only intensified.

"You really don't wanna know," Derek answered instead of her.

"'Cause I know Drake on your team started dating this chick called Vanessa…" Tessa continued. "Long black hair, nice big blue eyes…"

Casey's face distorted in distaste. "I can't understand how anyone can like her… but that does sound like her."

Tessa laughed. "I don't think he really likes her _for her_, if you know what I mean."

"I do." Then Casey sent _him_ a pointed look. "Like some _other _people I know."

Derek gaped at her. The girl did _not_ know how to let something _go_. "That was all for your sake."

"Oh, yes, I'm sure sticking your tongue down her throat was for _my_ sake," Casey retorted wryly. Tessa and Sam momentarily stopped eating.

"It was part of the whole plan, princess. You wouldn't even _have_ your bracelet back if it wasn't for me."

"And of course it involves you regressing back to your man-whorish ways," Casey mumbled.

"Hey, I was _never_ a man-whore."

"Okay, okay. I don't wanna fight," Casey said, throwing her hands in the air in surrender. "I'm sorry."

The "accidental" brushes radically decreased from then on.

Unfortunately, things seemed to get worse from that moment too. He just _had to_ run into the aforementioned girl a little while later. He was at the open bar when she spotted him.

"_You_," she cried venomously. "_You_ jerk."

"Look, I just wanted the bracelet you stole _back_. No hard feelings, alright?" But his attempt at making peace was patently shot down.

"_No hard feelings? _You humiliated me!"

Her eyes widened in anger and he was starting to fear for his life. He really hoped she wasn't serious with Drake because he wouldn't put it past his fellow team member to beat the pulp out of him.

"I'm sorry," he tried, but the girl's eyes narrowed. A glint appeared in her eyes when the bartender placed a glass of wine on the bar. Before he could process anything, Vanessa grasped the glass and poured the content over his head. He managed to move out the way, but it was obviously the _wrong_ way because the wine spilled all over his white dress shirt instead of his face.

A few people around them started whispering and hooting. He could have sworn she growled when a petite blonde stood up with napkins.

But there was no way he was going to spend the rest of the evening with wine all over his shirt. _No freaking way_.

He hurriedly trekked his way to their table and pulled Casey up. "Let's leave, shall we?"

"Oh my god, what happened to you?" Her shock quickly turned into mirth, though.

"Vanessa decided tonight was her opportunity to stake revenge. So how about we spare you before she decides it's your turn," he said grimly, pulling her towards the exit. Sam and Tessa were laughing but followed cooperatively.

He knew they weren't too big on this party anyway.

Casey was still laughing when they reached the car. "I can't believe how amused you are by this," Derek griped, opening the passenger seat for her.

"I told you those girls were vicious vultures," Casey sang knowingly.

Derek rolled his eyes.

"I hope you realize we left before the main meal," Sam interjected, wrapping his arm around Tessa as they settled in the backseat.

"We'll pass by a drive-thru," Derek responded.

And that's exactly what they did. After they finished eating and were properly satiated, they drove around town.

"Snarky is not a word," Tessa persisted. Casey nodded vigorously in agreement.

"Yes it is," Derek said.

"I'm _sure_ it is," Sam added.

Tessa sighed. "You guys are such idiots. It's not in the dictionary, okay? It doesn't count as a word."

"Do you have a dictionary on you?" Derek asked dubiously, taking his eyes off the road momentarily to glance at the backseat.

"Of course I don't. But don't you think I'd know whether _snarky _was a word or not? The dictionary is like my bible. I've practically studied it when I was twelve."

Sam sighed in defeat. "She's got a point, D."

"Yeah, whatever. Snarky will always be a real word _to me_," Derek stated obstinately. He couldn't even remember why they were arguing about this.

Casey rolled her eyes, but a simple smile played on her lips. He elbowed her to which she rolled her eyes _again_ at.

"I get no love," he complained melodramatically.

Casey's response took him off guard. "That's because you don't ask for it," she mumbled quietly. He wanted to reply, but he knew the conversation wouldn't get very far with Tessa and Sam all cuddly in the backseat.

When he finally dropped them off at Tessa's place, Casey was the first to speak up. "Thanks for taking me," she said quietly, keeping her eyes on the scenery outside. "It was nice."

His eyebrows knitted together. She was also playing nervously with her bracelet and he was starting to think that his feelings weren't completely one-sided.

But the moment passed as she started rambling about the infamous _vultures_ again. She even kept at it until he had to tell her to _shut up_ when they entered their hallway.

Completely wrought from this whole yes/no Casey thing, he decided he'd leave it for tomorrow. He made a quick show of brushing his teeth and called out a hasty goodnight to her.

He was about to get settled in bed when he realized how thirsty he was. And if he didn't go right away, he probably wouldn't at all. Derek contemplated it for a moment. If he had dealt with Casey a whole night, he was pretty sure he would be able to last a bit longer.

"Ah, I don't know Tara," he heard Casey quietly whisper in what he assumed was the phone. He reached the kitchen doorway and she _still_ hadn't spotted him "I mean, after everything Amy said… I don't know... I thought, _maybe_." She sighed tiredly then and reached her arm up to grab a glass. She wasn't successful. He was right about to help when her next words stopped him.

"I'm not just going to kiss him. Derek has to do the first move. I don't care if it's traditional and we're in the _new age_. Maybe I'm a traditional kind of person," she said resignedly, having given up on the cup. She was still wearing her dress.

He had already zoned her out. '_Derek has to make the first move_' rang too loudly in his head. And her dress inching upwards was inciting all kinds of reactions from _other_ parts of his body.

And then it all made sense; the flirting, the touching, the comments, _everything_, it all made sense _now_. Amy must have said something to Casey at the party. Any other time, he would have been angry at her for revealing such an important secret of his, but right now, he didn't seem to care.

He just wanted to kiss Casey.

"-was fun," Casey continued speaking, completely unaware of his presence until he suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her to him. Her eyes widened when he grabbed the phone with his other hand.

"Tara? Casey will call you back." He virtually threw the phone down before weaving his fingers through her hair and bringing her lips to his.

And then it was _everything_ and nothing because he just couldn't get enough of her. She responded almost immediately. He pushed her onto the counter fervently and they both fought for dominance.

Honestly, Derek would have _gladly_ given it to her.

He growled when her nails scratched down his back.

"I wouldn't have pegged you as the traditional type," he managed to say when they came up for her air. The hem of her dress was riding dangerously high and he was sure his nightshirt was more than a little rumpled.

"Does it matter at this point?" she said in a breathy voice that almost had him moaning.

He kissed her again. "Not really."


	7. Emily and Things

Out of Things Left Unsaid

**Out of Things Left Unsaid  
**Seven: _Emily… and Things_

"It's all lies, dude," Ralph said fervently, throwing the small paper ball up in the air and catching it. Derek shook his head.

"I think you're paranoid."

"I agree," Sam seconded, watching Ralph with a questioning look. It looked as though all three of them finished nearly at the same time on Thursdays. And since Derek made a vow to re-hatch his friendship with Ralph at the party, this was a_ good_ thing.

"When the government starts banning toasters, then you'll understand," Ralph scoffed.

"Maybe paranoid isn't the right word," Derek corrected, looking at Sam in mock-reflection. "Delusional, perhaps?"

Sam nodded sagely.

Ralph threw the paper ball at Derek, missing him merely by an inch.

"Hey, isn't Emily coming back today?" Sam asked, opening the main apartment door once Ralph finished parking his car.

"She is," Derek confirmed. "Casey's going to get her tonight."

"So what exactly happened with her?" Ralph asked curiously as they entered the elevator.

Derek shrugged. "I'm not really sure, but according to Casey, Emily had some kind of career meltdown… but you don't know _anything_." He pointed at each of them for emphasis but they only laughed at his attempt to look threatening.

Sam opened the door to their apartment and waggled his eyebrows at Derek when he caught sight of Casey. She was sitting comfortably on her mattress in the corner with her laptop propped up. She was also wearing Derek's tee-shirt.

Derek inwardly groaned. It had been really hard to get up that morning. He had even contemplated sleeping in but Casey practically kicked him out of his own bed. Both Sam and Ralph were shooting him knowing looks.

"Hey Case," Ralph said roguishly, waving at her enthusiastically and purposely eyeing her current choice of dress.

_Stupid friends_.

He _liked_ Casey in his clothes, and he'll be damned if they embarrassed her enough to make her stop. He pushed Ralph forward and into the kitchen, let Sam follow Ralph and finally turned his attention back to Casey.

She was blushing.

"Sorry," she said in a small voice, a sheepish smile on her face. "They're just so much more comfortable than mine."

He grinned and fell to his knees beside her. "I think I like them better off of you," he murmured before taking her lips. As soon as he felt her nose scrunch up, she pulled back.

"You're such a pig," she said with a scowl. He could tell she didn't really mean it, though.

"_Please_, like you don't prefer me without my shirt on," Derek rebutted impishly.

Casey gasped but was soon laughing. "Conceited, much?"

"No, just saying it like it is," he said matter-of-factly. He moved in to kiss her again, but it didn't last long.

"I think you need a reality check, Narcissus."

Derek brought his lips back to hers before she said anything more. Casey deepened the kiss, her hands wrapping more fully around his waist and bringing him closer. He gently pushed the computer off her lap and before either of them realized, she was lying on her back with him practically straddling her.

"Ew, man," Sam complained.

"I think it's kinda cute," Ralph commented, to which Sam smacked him on the head for. "Ow!"

"I question your masculinity sometimes," Sam said wryly. Derek had pulled off of Casey by then and watched as she tried to fix herself up. She sat up straighter and uselessly flattened her (_his_) shirt.

"We wanna _eat_," Sam whined. "But I'm sick of take-out."

"Oh. I can cook something," Casey cut in, getting up. She hurried into the kitchen, deliberately avoiding his eyes. They all followed her.

It didn't take time before Casey realized that _cooking_ wasn't really an option. They never kept much in their fridge, and what was in their fridge at that moment was Casey's doing - a few vegetables and fruits and some weird cheeses. She then checked the cabinets for spices but the ones she had bought in the beginning of her stay were almost finished.

"You guys are horrible," Casey muttered. "Common, let's go."

0

How Casey managed to get them all to go with her was beyond him. Derek lagged behind in the ice cream section eyeing the coffee crisp carton until she dragged him after her. Sam and Ralph were duly standing near her. They knew better than to disobey.

"This is for _you_ and Sam," Casey explained. "So unless you want Sam choosing things you would never eat, then I suggest you follow the group, alright?"

"This does not look like a museum," Derek joked. "Last time I checked, food displays were not considered art."

Casey rolled her eyes. "_Clever_, Derek. And I'm pretty sure it _was_ considered art at some point during the post-modern era."

Derek shook his head in amusement.

It was forty-five minutes - and a full basket later - when they reached the cash. Ralph caught sight of a magazine cover with Angelina Jolie and they all huddled around it, minus Casey. He saw her sigh from his peripheral vision and was about to join her when he heard the cashier's next words.

"So which one of them is yours?" he asked. He seemed friendly enough, but Derek was curious to know what Casey was going to say.

"What makes you think one of them is?" she answered.

_Classic _Casey to get on the defensive, but the guy was undeterred. He gestured to her shirt.

"Oh," she said stupidly. She seemed to be thinking for a moment. "Well, maybe I'm an Oilers fan." The cashier sent her a disbelieving look but let it slide.

"You are?" Derek said, coming to stand next to her. Her eyes widened.

He smirked. "Who's on the team, again?"

"Uh," Casey sputtered looking nervously back at the cashier. Derek shouldn't have been surprised when Casey took the challenge, though. "Nilsson, Cogliano… Sam Ganer! That Fernando guy… Sornini!" Casey stopped when Derek started laughing.

"_Stortini_, and it's Sam _Gagner_," he corrected, yet still relatively proud that she wasn't completely off the mark. "And you're a liar."

She huffed. "Am not! I wouldn't be wearing this shirt if I weren't a fan, would I?" Her question was directed to the amused cashier who nodded obligingly.

"Babe, you're wearing that shirt because you were too lazy to reach for _yours_ this morning," he said boldly, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. She clicked her tongue.

"_Ass_," she muttered under her breath while he handed the clerk his credit card.

0

Casey made a quick show with dinner and begged them not to eat until Emily arrived. But they were too hungry. She watched begrudgingly as they ravaged half of her pasta casserole.

"You're such _guys_," Casey said in mild distaste, playing around with her salad. _She_ had decided to wait for Emily, as she so avidly kept reminding them.

Emily was staying with her cousins not too far from campus, but she insisted on seeing Casey first.

Ralph had decided to stick around a bit longer to see Emily. It wasn't long before there was loud squealing in their small living room. Emily duly embraced all of them and smiled beatifically at Ralph.

"Oh my god, Casey said you looked different, but you look _good_," Emily yapped happily.

Ralph's stupid smile was priceless. Had Ralph been single, Derek was sure his friend would have made a move. He'd probably spew out some compliment about her shoes to get himself going.

Casey had escaped to the kitchen but not before Derek caught the genuinely contented expression on her face. He was tempted to follow her but Emily's inquiring questions were hard to avoid without sounding rude.

Emily was babbling away about her trip to France and her 'self-discovery' when Casey rejoined them, a bowl of food in hand. "Yay! Your primavera pasta!" Emily cried out gleefully. Casey beamed.

"So how long are you staying?" Sam asked while Emily all but wiped her plate of food.

She finished chewing and swallowed. "A week. Then I'm going back to London." She eyed them inquiringly. "You guys are gonna visit, right?"

"Of course, we will. Derek and I are going back home when the semester ends," Casey said offhandedly. Derek vaguely wondered if Emily knew about his and Casey's… _thing_.

"You staying for the whole summer again?" Emily asked, finally placing her empty bowl on the table.

"Depends. I don't think so… since, um, I'm getting a new apartment. Well, I'm supposed to," Casey admitted sheepishly, sending an apologetic look to Sam. She must have realized that Derek wouldn't be the one to mind if she had to extend her stay until vacation started.

"Oh, it's true. Sorry, keeps slipping my mind." Her gaze fell on Casey's mattress and sent her friend a sympathetic smile. "Must be horrible not having your own room."

Casey shrugged but Derek denoted a hint of nervousness in her otherwise casual demeanor. "It's not so bad. I'm usually at school or at work, anyway."

"Hey, Derek," Emily said suddenly. "Thanks for forcing her to quit her second job." Casey huffed at that. "Wish I would have thought of it… should have known a threat would have been the wisest way to go."

"Yes, well , years of dealing with Casey has thought me that." He grinned wickedly and barely flinched when Casey threw a pillow at him.

"You're horrible," she muttered under her breath.

Emily laughed. "Aw, I missed you guys."

They spent the rest of the evening talking. It didn't take much for Derek to realize that Casey hadn't told her best friend about their _thing_.

It didn't really make sense; Emily was her _best friend_.

When both Emily and Casey settled in the living room for the night, he knew he wasn't going to get any answers _soon_.

0

Derek had a class the next morning and was surprised when he found Emily sitting quietly on one of the kitchen stools.

"Mornin' Derek," she mumbled sleepily, sipping on her coffee.

"_Coffee_," he said in relief. Nothing was better than waking up with a fresh pot of coffee ready for you.

"You used to hate coffee," Emily said quietly, watching him carefully. He sat on the stool facing her.

"I blame Casey." He grabbed the left-over piece of bread off of Emily's plate.

She didn't reply right away. He was starting to think she had something particular fixated on her mind. He was right.

"So you and Casey, uh?" she said, almost too casually.

Derek swallowed a large gulp of juice. "What about me and Casey?"

Emily frowned, and after a lengthy silence, finally sighed. "Just don't hurt her, okay?"

He didn't want to get mad this early in the morning, but it was kind of hard. "I'm _not_ gonna hurt her."

Emily seemed to have sensed his defensiveness. "I'm sorry. That came out wrong. Just be careful, alright? Casey's a strong girl, but she can _fall_, hard. So just make sure your intentions are clear."

He wasn't quite sure what she was implying, but it didn't sound _positive_.

"Good morning," Casey greeted softly, entering the kitchen slowly and going straight for the coffee. "Whoever made this is a God."

Emily laughed. "I am what I am."

The unnerving conversation was left unsettled when Casey and Emily started discussing classes for next fall.

_Just make sure your intentions are clear_.

What the hell? What did she think his intentions _were_?

0

The strangest and most annoying thing was that Casey was acting all weird around him now, and he was sure it was Emily's fault. He finally got a word in edgewise when she came back from school. She barely acknowledged him, settling for a simple hello instead. And then she firmly installed herself on her mattress and booted her laptop.

At least Emily was at her cousins by now.

He slowly made to Casey's sitting form and sat down next to her. She minimized the window and smiled up at him. _That's it_.

He narrowed his eyes. "Case."

"_Der_," she said mockingly. Okay. If she was going to act as if everything was normal, then maybe it was. He leaned in close and pecked her on the lips. She seemed responsive enough. _Good._ He leaned in for a second time, but 'lo and behold, she pulled away.

"I have an essay to finish," she told him. He was right about to call her out when her _phone_ rang. It was in the pocket of her coat. Probably seeing an opening to get out of the impending conversation, Casey raced to her coat.

"Hello?... Hey Liz," she said into the phone in a falsely cheery voice, glancing briefly his way as she escaped to the kitchen.

Derek sighed. He caught sight of the moving screen saver and remembered the window Casey had tried to conceal from him.

When he opened the window, his stomach sank. _Campus Housing_ was written in big bold letters.

She was looking at campus housing.

Emily was _so_ in for it.

Casey didn't even sleep in his bed that night either, claiming she 'had to study' and that 'he was far too distracting.' He would have believed her had she not been acting all distant.

"Come on, Case," he tried one last time, but something that looked strangely like sadness suddenly marred her features. It was gone as soon as it appeared.

"Derek, I'm really tired, but I have to finish this. I'll come to bed after, okay?" She looked up at him pleadingly.

He exhaled loudly. He'd let it go, but only this time.

She never came. He knew this because he woke up in the middle of the night and found her comfortably passed out on _her_ mattress.


	8. The Guessing Game

Out of Things Left Unsaid

**Out of Things Left Unsaid  
**Eight: _The Guessing Game_

Derek felt something tickle his nose. He burrowed deeper in the pillow, blaming it on dust. He had a late shift the night before and he was determined to get in as much sleep as he could.

But the offending smell only intensified - the sharp smell of burnt. Grudgingly sitting himself up, Derek waited a moment before standing up. His eyes wouldn't cooperate. He figured it couldn't have been that bad if the beeper hadn't gone off yet.

He exhaled. "This better be good." And in a slight haze, he walked across the empty living room to the kitchen.

He almost belched a laugh at the sight that greeted him. Casey was frantically running around the room, trying to air the smoke with a towel. He watched in amusement as she cursed under her breath, unaware of his presence.

"Trying to burn down the building, Case?" He smirked. Her head whipped to his and her eyes widened. _Priceless_.

She huffed. "_No_." More arm flailing to clear the air. "I just had a… little accident."

"Doesn't seem little to me," he shot back, forcing a cough out to prove his point.

Casey rolled her eyes. "Well, the beeper didn't go off," she declared, looking proud of herself. Much to her dismay, though, the beeper chose _that_ moment to go off. "You've got be kidding me."

Too busy laughing, he almost missed Casey's irritated remark. He lifted a hand in surrender and headed towards the beeper. Grabbing a chair, he quickly disconnected it before it woke the third occupant of the apartment.

He sat on one of the seats and placed the beeper gently on the counter. "What'd you burn anyway?" he asked curiously, once he caught his breath.

She mumbled something he didn't catch and he took great pleasure in watching her scowl when he asked her to repeat. "The cheese fell on the iron bar, alright?" She sounded exasperated and more than a little annoyed.

"Hey, don't bite my head off."

"Well, you don't need to be smug about it all," she muttered, turning her face away and glaring at the mini-oven.

"I wasn't being smug. I was retaliating. You snap at me, I snap at you."

Her eyebrow quirking, she guffawed. "And I'm the drama queen?"

This was good. They hadn't had much interaction for the last three days. Casey would disappear for hours on end – she was either in class, at work or at the library, studying for the upcoming finals.

They hadn't seen much of each other since Emily had come over. Derek still partially blamed their longtime neighbor but he knew - Casey-like behavior was usually _all_ Casey's doing. One day she'd be this way, another day, she'd be that way. It was unsettling, but he'd like to think he was used to it.

It wasn't like she was freezing him out completely. She would get home a little before 1:00am and quietly slide in beside him. They'd exchange a few words, but that was as far as it went. And then she'd be the first one up in the morning. If he didn't actually stay awake until she arrived, she would have gone completely undetected.

With some impatience, he realized that had the tables been turned – him getting home at 1:00am and leaving in the morning – Casey would have probably kicked him out of his _own_ apartment.

"Did I stump you, or is it still too early in the morning for you to properly argue?" Casey broke his train of thoughts. It took about a second before her comment made sense in his otherwise preoccupied mind.

"You should know by now that you _can't_ stump me. And yes it's too early. I'm supposed to be _sleeping_ right now, but _your_ burnt cheese woke me up, remember?"

"Well, it's almost 8:30 anyway, shouldn't you be getting up?" she quipped, folding her arms across her chest.

"My class is at 11:00, genius. So did you eat?"

"_Obviously_ not."

He sighed. She could be really tetchy sometimes. "I'm gonna go get dressed - we're going out for breakfast." He swiftly got up and made for the bathroom. "And _you're_ paying," he called out before shutting the door behind him.

He heard faint protests but it died in the next moment. Making a quick show of getting ready, he hastily packed his notebook and grabbed his car keys.

"Come on, princess," he yelled out, waiting at the door.

"My coat is dirty," he heard her whine from the corner of the living room.

"Wear your other one."

"But that's my winter coat!" She shot him an incredulous look before turning her attention back to her coat.

Derek looked at the ceiling in exasperation. "Wear a sweater then."

Casey bit her lip. "Which one?"

He shook his head. Not answering her question, he dashed to his room and grabbed his old high school sweater. He'd seen her wear it in public a few times before. He threw it at her. "Can we go now?"

She wringed the sweater in her hands before finally nodding. She pulled the soft cotton material over her head and a strange feeling settled in Derek's stomach. He wasn't able to tear his eyes away from her. He hadn't even noticed she was looking at him with question in her eyes.

He stepped closer and threaded both his hands in her hair. Leaning in, he kissed her lightly on the forehead. Their eyes locked as he ran a thumb over her cheekbone.

"I think I ruined your mini-oven," she said in a small voice, biting her lip guiltily. His mouth lifted upwards.

"I guess you'll just have to buy me breakfast for the next two weeks then," he threw in, a lazy smirk on his face.

"_Two_ weeks?" Her face pinched at the demand. "How about one week?"

He eyed her carefully, narrowing his eyes in mock-reflection. "One week and a half."

She frowned, as if she was thinking about it, until she gave him an affirmative nod. "It's a deal."

0

"Is that really necessary?" Casey hissed, stabbing her sausages savagely. Derek watched as she practically attacked her poor unsuspecting food.

"Is what really necessary?"

"Being all flirty with the waitress," Casey scoffed, shooting daggers at the waitress serving the neighboring table.

Derek laughed. He kind of liked seeing Casey jealous, even if he really didn't think he was flirting. "I wasn't flirting. Relax." He continued to chuckle quietly.

Casey scowl deepened. "_Please_, you did that side smirk thing you do and that direct eye-contact thing so that she'll find you sexy and charming."

He smirked, mildly surprised that Casey fell right into that one. "Do _you _think I'm sexy and charming when I do that _smirk thing_ and _eye-contact thing_?" He grinned when she sputtered stupidly.

"You're insufferable," she snapped, returning to the slow torture she was bestowing on her food.

"Ah, _insufferable_, but sexy and charming," he corrected arrogantly.

She grimaced in distaste but he could clearly see the amusement contained in her face.

"Anything else I can get you guys?" the aforementioned waitress said, beaming down at them.

Derek cleared his throat. He hadn't even realized what he was saying until the comment came out of his mouth. "Tell my girlfriend that it's ill-mannered to play with her food." The waitress laughed politely but didn't have a response. "And more coffee please."

"Coming right up." When she was out of earshot, Casey punched Derek on the shoulder. "Did you have to say that?"

"But I want coffee," he said with his best puppy-dog face.

Casey scowled at his childish antics. "Did you have to say '_my girlfriend_'? What is that, some kind of claim on me?"

"_That's_ the part you focused on? Here I was, thinking you were going to tell me off for belittling you."

"Derek," she said sternly.

"I was being nice," he offered simply.

Casey sent him a dubious look. "I must have missed something. How does this consist being nice?"

"The waitress now knows I'm not available."

Casey seemed contemplative, watching him carefully. "That's stupid."

Derek sighed, rubbing his neck tiredly. If he could count the different ways Casey drove him crazy, he'd run out of time.

"Well, it beats hearing you whine about her for the rest of the meal," he shot, hoping they could close the freaking conversation.

"Oh, so this is your idea of putting me at ease? May I remind you, _D_, you were the one flirting with her. I wasn't worried about _her_."

His head fell to the table, groaning. "_Casey._ Why do I feel like you're looking for an argument?"

"I'm not."

Derek snorted. "I wasn't flirting with her, okay? If you're worried about whether you're always on my mind, _you are_. I wouldn't –" His speech was cut short when Casey's cell phone rang. It flustered her a bit but she picked up soon enough.

"Oh, hi mom." She shot him a slightly nervous look. "I'm good, good…. Yeah, I have class at 12:30" There was a long pause on Casey's part after that. A look of panic flittered across her face. Derek frowned, trying to make out what was being said. "Oh, you are?... You know what, mom, my roommates are organizing this big party tonight and I'm trying to stray clear from it all. How about we go around town until Derek finishes class?"

Derek's frown deepened. Nora didn't know that her daughter was temporarily lodging with him? _Why would Casey keep that from her mother? _

"Oh, I don't know when he finishes, but I can call him and ask… Okay… I'll call you back then." And then she hung up and the panic in her eyes still hadn't disappeared.

"Mom's in Toronto," she declared as if it was Armageddon.

"Okay… and how is that problematic?"

Casey's defeated sigh turned into half a whimper. "She doesn't know I'm staying with you."

His eyebrows rose in confusion.

She continued with a crestfallen expression on her face. "I didn't want her to worry about me." Somehow, he didn't think that was the extent of it.

She quickly stood up and practically ran to the waitress. "Can we please have the check? I'll wait at the cash." The redhead seemed caught off guard but duly left to print out their check. Not even realizing that Casey actually paid for his breakfast, they headed out the restaurant and wasted no time on their way home. He was about to park his car when Casey stopped him.

"What are you doing? You have class, go to class," she insisted, gesturing with her hands once she hopped out of the car.

She had a point. He had forgotten about his history class. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm hiding all my things in your room." Before he could respond, she practically sprinted to the building entrance.

0

"I'm shocked at how clean this place is," Nora admitted in awe, plopping back on the couch.

_Casey's doing_, Derek thought ironically. He watched as Casey smiled tightly at her mother before taking the seat on the other couch.

When Derek got home after class, he was surprised to see that nothing of Casey's was visible in the living room. She had stuck to her word; she had shoved them all in _his_ room. He just hoped Nora wouldn't ask to see his bedroom because he wasn't sure if 'it's too messy' would deter her.

"So how are you, Derek?" Nora beamed up at him.

"Oh, I'm alright. Not much of a life between hockey, school and work," he said honestly. Nora nodded sympathetically.

"So no lady friend?" she mused, a grin forming her lips. His eyes briefly shot to Casey and he hoped his stepmother hadn't caught it.

"Kinda, but she's being _complicated_ about it when she doesn't need to be." He avoided Casey's eyes – he knew she'd be glaring at him anyway.

Nora's face contorted in concern. "Oh?"

"Well, maybe there's something you don't know," Casey cut in.

Derek's face hardened. "And I'm supposed to guess? If there's something wrong, she should tell me. Not freeze me out."

Nora shifted her attention from him to Casey, a look of confusion marring her features.

"She wasn't freezing you out," Casey continued, seemingly oblivious to her mother's puzzlement.

Not wanting to reveal more than they already had, he settled for a sarcastic "right."

There was a heavy silence until Nora spoke. "I think I'm going to side with Derek on this one. You can't just guess what the other person is feeling."

Casey sighed. "Maybe she doesn't even know what she's feeling."

Nora frowned. "You know her?"

Casey's mouth opened stupidly before she answered. "Yeah, she's in one of my classes." At least it sounded convincing.

"I see."

The conversation died down mostly after that. They spent the rest of the day going around town but he couldn't really shake their third person argument out of his head.

There _was_ something wrong.

When Nora had to leave, they shared a long hug and Derek felt a tad guilty for being relieved. She was asking all kinds of questions that often had him lying because of Casey's secret regarding her living arrangements. _Their_ living arrangements.

Casey had to leave for work after her mother's departure so he never got a chance to resume their discussion.

More than a little irritated, he grudgingly made his way home, glad he didn't have to worry about hockey practice. He was resigned that once he got home, he'd start working on his business paper.

He greeted Sam upon his arrival, tiredly falling back on the couch.

"You okay, dude?" his friend asked, turning his eyes away from the TV.

"Yeah." He rubbed his palms over his face roughly. "Nora doesn't know Casey's staying here."

"Really? Where does she think she's staying then?" Everyone knew that Casey rarely hid anything from her mother.

"In the studio apartment she _ran away_ from," Derek claimed, a note of exasperation in his tone.

"Oh."

"Yeah, _oh_." Derek sighed again, moving to get up. He decided he wasn't going to move her stuff out yet. He kind of liked having pieces of her in his room. "I have a paper to write. I'll be in my room."

Sam nodded in acknowledgement. Derek had barely made it to his room when his phone rang.

It was Nora's phone number.

"Hello?"

"Hi Derek. I'm sorry, I'm in a bit of a situation." He could hear pounding water in the background.

"Are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

"Yes, yes, sweetie. But I don't feel very comfortable driving in this rain." Derek looked out his window and in slight shock, realized it was pouring outside. He must have reached home at the perfect moment.

"Can you drive back here?"

"Yes, I haven't gone very far. I hope it's not a problem."

"Don't worry about it Nora. Call me if you'd rather have me come get you."

"Thank you, honey. I'll be there soon."

And that's how he found himself preparing the couch for Nora while she sat in the kitchen with Sam. As an act of courtesy, Derek offered her his couch for the night when the rain didn't let up.

He wasn't sure whether Casey was going to kill him or thank him for it.

When he finally reached her, she didn't seem too angry with the news. She had put him on hold and not even a minute later, came back on the line and told him she'd be staying with Thomas. He was never as glad as he was at the moment that one of Casey's male co-worker was gay.

Sighing in relief, he entered the kitchen and took the seat beside Sam who suddenly yawned loudly.

"I'm gonna turn in."

"Goodnight Sam," Nora said warmly.

"It was nice seeing you Mrs. McDonald," Sam said politely, waving as he left the room.

"I've always really liked Sam," Nora declared quietly, sipping on her tea slowly.

"The couch is ready whenever you wanna go sleep."

"Thank you, Derek," she said sweetly. "I hate driving in the rain."

With a small pang, Derek remembered Casey hated to drive in the rain too.

He hadn't noticed Nora pulling out a newspaper from under the fruit bowl. Who the hell put it there anyway?

"Are you looking for a new place?" Nora entreated, fingering the classifieds carefully.

"No," he said automatically. He loved his current apartment and he knew the whole family knew that too. "It's for Casey."

"Yes, she told me she was looking for a new place. She's not getting along with her roommates, is she? I get the feeling she isn't very happy with them."

"I don't think she is," Derek added, wondering to what extent Casey had explained her situation.

Then Nora fixed him with a reflective gaze that made him a tad nervous. "You and Casey seem close." He wasn't sure whether the comment held more than what it was.

He settled for a simple nod.

"I'm happy to see that. I was afraid that as soon as you guys started college, you wouldn't see each other much… even if you were going to the same school." She smiled. "But it's like you're closer now."

Derek returned the smile, not quite sure what she wanted him to say. It was true, but he wouldn't be able to explain how it happened without revealing certain things – like, oh, his _feelings for Casey_.

"And she's okay, right? Hasn't worked herself too hard?"

He smirked fondly. "I try to keep her in check."

Nora laughed. "Good."

0

As opposed to the previous morning, Derek woke up to the welcoming smell of bacon and eggs. He outstretched his arm in an unconscious attempt to feel Casey. When he felt the empty mattress beside him, he remembered last night's events. Putting two and two together, he realized his stepmother was probably the one making them breakfast.

He groggily made his way out of bed and after a pit stop to the bathroom, he trudged to the kitchen.

"Good morning," Nora said cheerily. She flipped the eggs.

Derek felt his inner-child react. He didn't know anyone who could do a proper sunny-side up egg aside from Nora and Pablo from Smelly-Nelly's.

"Mornin'."

He started to get rid of the dishes in the sink when he heard his cell phone ring. Figuring that the only person who'd even think of calling him this early would be Casey, he ran to his bed room and caught the phone right on time.

"Derek. I need you to bring me a change of clothes."

He laughed. "And how do you want me to do that? It would look kinda suspicious if I suddenly walked out of the apartment with a women's outfit in my hand."

"_Derek_," she hissed. "I'm sure you can come up with something. I'm in the garage. Don't take too long." And then she hung up. He took a deep breath – the girl was so demanding sometimes.

Grabbing a plastic bag he found in his room, he stuffed a pink shirt he saw her wear a few days ago and a black pair of pants. He wasn't going to spend hours searching for an outfit.

"Hey, Nora, I have to go give my neighbor something. I'll be back in a few minutes," he said in the kitchen doorway before leaving. He shut the door after she yelled out "okay."

As he was reaching the garage, he hadn't noticed how eager he was to see her. It was fairly easy spotting her white beat-up car. He approached slowly, not seeing her in the driver's seat. Inching closer, he saw her lying with her eyes closed in the backseat.

After watching for a whole breathtaking minute, he knocked on the window. However soft the knock he intended it to be, it still startled her. He barely made out her frantic "Jesus Christ" once she realized it was him.

Opening the door, she threw her legs on the ground but didn't move out of the car. "Did you need to scare me like that?"

Derek chuckled softly. "Sorry," he said sincerely. He really hadn't meant to.

Her hair was slightly mussed and there were dark circles under her eyes.

"What'd you do, watch gay porn all the night?" he jibed. She looked like she hadn't had a wink of sleep the night before.

"_Mature_, Derek," Casey grumbled. She winced when she lifted her arm, rolling her shoulders slowly. Upon Derek's questioning gaze, Casey explained. "Thomas' couch is _horrible_. Most uncomfortable couch I've ever slept on."

He carefully dropped the bag on the floor. "Awww," he cooed, taking a step closer and placing his hands on her shoulders. He started to squeeze soothingly. He closed his eyes when she made a small noise that effectively had his insides coiling. Her head fell forward for a moment.

"Were you able to get me a change of clothes?" she asked, lolling her head from side to side as he continued to knead her shoulders. He pulled his hands away and fetched the bag.

"Mom wants to have breakfast with me this morning. Some mother-daughter time or something," she clarified, grabbing the bag from his outstretched hand. "It would have looked suspicious if I was wearing the same outfit as yesterday."

"Funny, she's making breakfast right now," Derek wondered.

Casey shrugged. "Probably for you and Sam."

"That's nice."

She had her back turned to him, but left the door open while she divested herself of her shirt. Derek couldn't pull his eyes away. She pulled her pink shirt over her head. She started to unbutton her jeans when Derek groaned.

"That's not fair."

She looked back at him, completely oblivious to the effect she had on him.

"You've seen me naked before," Casey murmured, starting to pull her pants down. Did she really expect him to just stand there?

Unable to retain himself, he shoved himself into the car. He heard Casey squeak before he shut the door behind him and claimed her lips. He swallowed her gasp and relaxed when she responded with equal fervor.

Her fingers threaded into his hair while his hands roamed her body until he reached her thighs. He pulled the rest of her pants off and started trailing kisses down her neck. Her head fell against the window, letting out a quiet moan that made his blood boil.

He pulled her shirt back off and smiled into her neck when he realized she had put it on mere seconds ago. Her hands found themselves on his back, scratching down until he exploded from the sensation. He came to unhook her bra when they heard the garage door open loudly.

Derek cursed under his breath. He knew the moment had been broken. Casey pulled away. "Wow, okay."

He would have gladly resumed what they were doing but he had a feeling she wouldn't be too happy with that. He moved to sit properly, his head falling back in defeat.

"You should go," she said quietly, once again pulling the pink shirt over her head.

He stared back at her, suddenly feeling sad and dejected. "Are you ever going to tell me what's wrong?" he said in an equally quiet voice.

She bit her lip. He sighed when she remained silent. Clicking the door open, he got out and closed it behind him. He started to walk towards the elevators when he heard the distinct sound of a car door slamming.

"_Derek_," she called out. He stopped and slowly turned to face her. He waited for her to continue. "I just…"

He looked at her encouragingly.

She took a deep breath. "I need to figure things out."

He diverted his gaze to the ground, contemplating her comment when he made up his mind. "Okay."

"Okay?"

Derek nodded. "Okay. Figure things out and tell me when you do."

"Um, okay."

He closed the distance between and gently pressed his lips to hers. It was soft and chaste but held a lot more feeling than Derek could have imagined. Casey seemed to have noticed too. "I'll see you later, Casey."

And then he was walking back to the apartment, leaving a bewildered Casey behind.


	9. The Art of Breaking

Out of Things Left Unsaid

**Out of Things Left Unsaid**  
_Nine_: The Art of Break-ing

He was nursing a beer in his hands, feeling a warm breeze hitting him softly. He pressed the cold bottle onto his cheek and heaved a sigh as he watched the street below him.

"_I need to figure things out_," replayed in his head.

It had been three whole days since they've come to some sort of understanding.

_He'd wait_. That was the deal. He'd wait until she figured out whatever was plaguing her so, until she dealt with what was _stopping_ her from being with him.

And he really hoped he wasn't waiting in vain. They've already crossed a line, and he'd be lying if he said they could go back to the quasi-friendship they had settled in before she had moved in. The past few weeks with her have seeped deep within him, making him realize that he _really_ wanted her. He wanted it all. The waking up next to her, the slow kisses, the silly, ridiculously cheesy handholding – he wanted it _all_.

The music was blaring inside, loudly celebrating the end of classes, but he felt movement behind him. He didn't need to turn around to know who it was.

"I don't understand how you can party when we've still got exams," Casey said quietly, leaning on the balcony rail beside him. She crossed her arms over her chest and he couldn't help but notice that she was wearing his Thompson High sweatshirt.

"How can you not?" he deadpanned.

He wasn't looking at her but he could see her biting her lower lip in his peripheral vision. He tried to shove down the strange emotion rising within him. "Derek," she murmured quietly.

He said he was going to wait. She needed space, he understood that. Being difficult wasn't going to help. Sighing in defeat, he was about to turn and face her when he felt her arms wrap around his mid-section, her face pressed intimately against his upper-back.

He tensed momentarily, but when she held on tighter, he relaxed into the embrace. She mumbled a soft 'sorry' into his back. Shifting around to face her, he wrapped his own arms around her shoulders. Her head fell perfectly in the crook of his neck.

"It's okay," he choked out, his hands weaving into her hair. At least this 'break' arrangement was difficult for her too. He briefly wondered what the point was if they were both in similar states of affliction. But he learnt long ago that there was always some odd sense to Casey's reasoning. No matter how crazy. He just hadn't figured it out yet.

Someone stumbled loudly into the balcony.

"Oh man, I'm sorry," an obviously drunk Alex said stupidly, his eyes wide and glassy.

Casey pulled away and disentangled herself from him. Derek instantly missed her closeness.

"No, it's okay Alex," she reassured. She smiled at their inebriated neighbor before patting him on the shoulder in amusement.

"Oh my God, there you are!" Tara cried out as she burst into the balcony. The tall blonde smiled beatifically at her best friend. Derek hadn't seen her in ages. Her tanned skin told him that she had probably been away for a while. Then again, Tara had once admitted that she usually stayed clear of Casey near the end of term. His step-sister had a tendency of snapping at the smallest things during finals.

"Imagine my surprise when I discovered that Casey McDonald would be at a party at such a crucial time of year," Tara said loftily, her grin widening. She moved to hug Casey whom reacted with equal eagerness.

"Aren't you supposed to be at the movies with Tim's mom?"

Tara shrugged. "I excused myself for 15 minutes – urgent matter to attend to," she made air-quotes for the last part. She glanced at her watch and winced. "And I do believe it's been twenty. You are difficult to spot at a party, babe."

"Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," she said while laughing. The girl was really far too cheery for Derek's taste, but Casey seemed happy with her friend's sudden appearance. "Derek!"

"Tara!"

And then her eyes narrowed. "I'm not sure whether I should be angry at you for hanging up on my face or not, considering everything and all." Her eyes shifted knowingly between him and Casey.

Derek simply smirked.

Casey rolled her eyes. "You should go. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Definitely."

After exchanging brief goodbyes, Tara strut out of the balcony, winking at Derek before disappearing into the crowd.

"I missed her," Casey confessed with a sigh.

"_Who is she_?" Alex said in awe. Derek had forgotten he was even there.

"That's Tara," Casey said fondly. Her next words, however, completely threw him off. "So who's ready to party?" And then she was striding purposefully to the kitchen with a giddy Alex behind her.

0

"She'll pass, thank you," Derek interjected, standing tall beside the guy chatting Casey up. Much to his relief, Casey nodded.

"What he said," she said in mock-seriousness, leaning willingly when Derek brought an arm around her shoulder.

The nameless guy put up his hands in his air as a gesture of surrender before walking away.

Casey started giggling. "You should have seen your face," she laughed. "All irritated and stern." And then she proceeded in trying to imitate him. She wasn't very successful.

"You look like a fish."

"Hey!" She slapped him on the chest, looking slightly put out.

"You're the one making fun of me," he reasoned, watching her lips quirk upwards.

"You were asking for it. Oh my god, I love this song!" Her face brightened and he couldn't help but laugh at the sudden change in demeanor. He vaguely remembered the song. It used to play on the radio on Friday and Saturday nights.

When she started singing along and put a hand up to follow the beat, Derek nervously looked around him. Everyone was too drunk to notice Casey's all too ridiculous behavior. She suddenly divested herself of his sweatshirt and handed to him. She was wearing a simply gray top that showed far too much cleavage if he had anything to say about it. He knew that if he made a comment about it, she wouldn't let him hear the end of it.

"How much did you drink?"

"Still I'm dying with every step I take, but I don't look back…And it hurts with every heartbeat…" she sang, swaying rhythmically. He cringed at the corny words and wondered how she could dance so enthusiastically to such sad words. She repeated the last phrase several times, along with the song, before she grew quieter. She was still rocking to the music, albeit slower. He spotted Tessa and Sam making their way to them.

"Hey, man," Sam yelled over the music. No sooner had they arrived that Casey pulled a laughing Tessa onto the makeshift dance floor. "Is she drunk?" Sam asked, amusement laced in his voice, watching his girlfriend and his longtime friend move a few feet away from them.

"She very much is." He took a large swig of his beer, deciding it was going to be his last one since Casey had clearly decided he was the responsible one tonight. _One_ of them had to stay level headed.

He actually didn't mind very much. It was nice seeing her let go from the time to time. He just hoped she was in right mindset to do so, and not burst into tears at the end of the night or something.

He almost shuddered at the thought.

He and Sam both laughed when they noticed Casey singing along to the 'Sweetest Girl'.

"I didn't even know she knew this song," Derek admitted. His eyes glazed over when she caught him staring and smiled shyly.

He sighed loudly, taking a last gulp of his drink. His agitation didn't go unnoticed.

"You okay, dude?" Sam asked with raised eyebrows.

Derek's hand came up to the back of his neck, rubbing nervously. "I believe the term is whipped."

Sam smiled before frowning reflectively. "Ah, I see. And you're okay with that, right?"

The question wasn't disparaging. Sam knew him like the back of his hand.

It took a long moment before Derek answered. "Yeah, I am." It was the truth. The confession somehow made him feel much lighter than he had felt the whole evening.

The rest of the night passed rather quickly after that. When the clock hit one, he started pulling Casey's drinks away from her. She was really taking this 'party' thing seriously. He would have been worried, but she hadn't protested when he quietly asked her to stop. Simply nodding in acceptance, she continued dancing and mingling with Tessa while he and Sam stood calmly, checking on them every so often.

When they stumbled back to them, both girls were flushed, their eyes bleary from all the alcohol they consumed. Catching him off guard, Casey grabbed hold of his hand and hauled him forward.

Her mouth landed hard against him but she didn't seem to care. Her tongue swiftly darted against his lower lip and he almost recoiled at the ferocity of her kiss.

Three whole days since they've agreed to take a 'break'. Three days since he'd _kissed_ her.

But they were on 'break', and no matter how much he may be enjoying this – _gods_, he was enjoying it – and despite the fact that _she_ initiated it, he didn't want her to regret anything the next day. With the way things were going now, he was pretty sure kissing wasn't the only thing she'd be regretting in the morning.

Pulling away reluctantly, he buried his head in the crook of her neck. "Are you sure you wanna be doing this?" he said against her neck, unable to keep from trailing his lips slowly up to her ear.

She didn't respond, just pressed her face to his shoulder.

"It's okay, love."

Her body tensed at the endearment. He didn't even know where it had come from. His supervisor at work often said it in passing, but he didn't have the habit of using it. Still, it was already out his mouth before he could do anything about it.

She pulled away, but surprisingly didn't break her hold on him. "Can we go home?"

They were out of the building soon after that. They made a pit stop at nearest McDonalds since both his and Sam's stomach were growling in hunger. The driver-thru speaker was broken so they had no choice but to order inside.

Tessa and Casey had opted to wait inside the car. Luckily, it wasn't too crowded. It was usually packed at this time – partygoers famished after a full night of partying. They were out after a couple of minutes.

Derek noticed Casey talking on the phone and marveled at who she could possibly be speaking to this late. She had hung up before he had a chance to hear anything.

"Who were you talking to?" he asked curiously, pulling the car out of the parking lot.

"Doesn't matter," she mumbled, her head falling back on Tessa's shoulder tiredly.

"It's almost 2:30 a.m., you're drunk… you realize the person might get pissed off?" he threw in.

Casey grunted. "She deserves it anyway."

"_Who_?" he insisted.

"Derek, why do you care?" Tessa mumbled exasperatedly, opening her eyes.

"I don't."

"Then drop it," she finished, closing her eyes once again. Derek looked affronted but upon Sam's stern glare, promptly let it go. It wasn't really important after all.

Once they reached the apartment, Casey soon fell back on her mattress and fell asleep almost immediately. He ate his food quietly. He jumped slightly when a Michael Buble song broke the silence.

_Casey's phone_.

Rushing to her bag, he pulled out the loud device and opened it without delay.

"Hello," he croaked out as quietly as possible. He moved back to the kitchen.

"Derek?" Amy's sleepy voice rang in his ear. "Where's Casey?"

"Dead asleep. Why?"

"How convenient," she muttered groggily. "What'd you do to her anyway?"

"Excuse me?"

"Don't joke with me. You know what I'm talking about. It's late and I've got class in the morning."

"I'm afraid I don't, Ames. You can go back to sleep."

"_Right_," she scoffed. "So you don't know anything about Casey calling me up _this late_, telling me how I dragged her into this, and I quote, 'wretched mess' with you," she said before he had a chance to hang up. He was momentarily stumped.

"What happened?" Amy continued in a more sympathetic tone.

Derek sighed heavily. Amy must have been the person Casey called in the car. "You know, I'm not really sure. One moment everything is great and then she's pulling away and I have no idea why." His voice turned desperate a bit at the end and he cursed himself inwardly for sounding so dismal.

"I see."

"She really said we were a wretched mess?" Derek groaned.

"I think she meant _she_ was a wretched mess – not necessarily _you and her _as a couple," Amy corrected. "Look, if it's any consolation, and I'm really _really_ not supposed to be saying this 'cause it's really not my place-"

"_Amy_," Derek interrupted her rambling.

"She cares about you. You know, the fall-over-crazy about you kind of care. _A lot_."

"She told you that?"

"Not in so many words, no. But I could tell. In fact, she was a bit panicky about it all when we first talked about it, so I don't know… maybe the intensity of it all is scaring her."

"The first time? You've talked about me?" That made him strangely happy.

"That's totally beside the point, Derek. I'm trying to help here."

To be honest, Amy's theory did sound very Casey-ish in nature. It actually made a whole lot of sense. Casey tended to over think things and balk under the pressure. This push-and-pull thing they've been trapped in lately… that was her balking under the pressure.

"What do I do then?"

He heard her exhale and waited patiently for her answer. "Give her space, I think," Amy said softly. "She'll come around."

"You think so?"

"Yeah."

He sighed, his head falling on the counter.

"Derek?"

"Hmmm…"

"Did you really call her 'love'?" Derek could hear a trace of laughter in her voice. He groaned miserably.

"I did."

She was unmistakably laughing by then.

"She was appalled, wasn't she?" He started banging his head on the table, careful not to make too much noise in case it woke Casey up.

"Not quite the word I would use… Awed, I'd say - the good kind."

"You're not just saying that to be nice?"

She laughed. "No, I'm not."

Derek narrowed his eyes. "And how come you're so sure?"

"It was the before last thing she said in the message."

"…what was the last?" he couldn't help asking.

And with obvious great pleasure, Amy gleefully repeated Casey's words, "_Oh God, I'm so done for_."


	10. Three Crimes

Author's Note: I refer to a song (J

**Out of Things Left Unsaid  
**Ten: _Three Crimes_

Derek never liked hospitals, or clinics, or anything that had to do with sick people for that matter. It made him feel uneasy.

"Hospitals make me queasy," Casey mumbled, echoing his thoughts. She clutched her stomach protectively, following closely behind him. The bell signaling the fourth level rang.

"Derek!" Marti cried out.

Nora looked up at them with a tired smile.

"Liz says Edwin's an idiot," Marti quipped lightly, leading them to Edwin's room. _Yes_, Edwin's _hospital room_. They had gotten the news a mere two hours ago. It was nearing midnight.

"Edwin got into a fight," Nora explainable, almost as if she still didn't believe it. "But he's alright. Just a broken arm."

"_Edwin?_" Casey repeated incredulously.

Derek laughed. "I knew there was a rough no-bullshit man under all that geeky-ness."

Casey rolled her eyes. "Funny."

After Nora and Marti pointed them to the door, they headed back to the family room.

Casey shook her head as the doors slid open automatically. "I can't believe Ed got into a fight."

"I can't believe Ed got into a fight _and broke his arm_."

When they finally reached Edwin's room, he was lying comfortably on the bed with a dopey smile on his face and a caste on his left arm.

"Oh, Edwin."

"Battle wounds, step-sister dearest."

"So what's the story, Eddie-boy? You were fighting a big guy, you tripped on your feet, stumbled onto the street and got hit by a car?" Derek said, taking one of the seats.

Casey hit him on the shoulder. "_Derek_."

"Well, what? You don't break an arm from a fight, it breaks from an accident. You get bruised up, or a busted lip, or a black eye or whatever," Derek retorted before redirecting his attention on his brother. "And I hope you got a good punch in."

Edwin beamed. "His lip was bleeding."

"Oh my god, you guys are horrible."

"I should have known Derek was going to approve of this," Lizzie said from the doorway, a brown paper in her hands.

"They're battle-wounds," Edwin repeated defensively.

"Pff, _battle wounds_? More like stupid monkey behavior." She huffed before placing the bag onto the table and inching it closer to the bed. "And this is the only time I actually run to Tim Hortons for you. And I o_nly_ did it because you're injured and I'm cool like that."

Lizzie, and all of her eighteen year old self, sat on the arm of her sister's chair and hugged her. "Hey big sis."

She greeted Derek with a broad smile. She knew he didn't do hugs. He watched as she and Casey chatted away about Edwin's 'stupidity'. He hadn't noticed before how much they resembled each other.

"I get no love," Edwin murmured, looking at his brother in what Derek assumed was 'guy solidarity'. Derek nodded obligingly. He wondered whether Edwin got the expression from him or the other way around.

"Battle wounds, uh?" Derek said, taking the seat beside the bed.

"Yup," Edwin sighed self-importantly. He gestured to Lizzie in distaste. "And this is what I get for defending her honor."

Lizzie rolled her eyes at that. "_Please_."

Derek laughed. Lizzie's _please_ had an uncanny resemblance to Casey's _please_.

He listened to his brother as he explained the whole incident in the park. Some random guy had started saying gross remarks to Lizzie when Edwin cut in. It didn't bode too well after that. The other kid must have pushed too hard at some point and caused Edwin to collide roughly against a seesaw; his arm – luckily, in this case – took the brunt of the hit.

"You could have stayed out of it," Lizzie persisted. Derek was starting to drown them out, feeling the tiredness of finals and the long drive seeping in. He had one more exam to go before he was officially finished. When he felt eyes on him, he looked up only to catch Casey looking at him. She diverted her gaze as soon as their eyes met.

He could tell she was purposely avoiding his eyes. He tried to decipher her blank expression, but came short. _Not very unlike the car ride from Toronto_. He sighed, standing up all of sudden.

"I'm gonna go outside for some air… the car ride made me stuffy," he lied. Edwin would have seen right through the lie had he not been still arguing with Lizzie. Casey shifted her eyes from her siblings to Derek and finally nodded in acknowledgment. He left the room without incident and was glad when he didn't bump into anyone else.

He opened the front doors in relief and caught sight of an empty bench. He slowly trekked his way to the fraying bench, sitting on the edge.

His brother was okay. _Edwin was okay_.

He ran the sentence a few more times in his head, willing it to sink in. He hadn't realized how riled up he'd been until he learned his brother was only nursing a broken arm. He remembered when Marti had been rushed to the hospital after a rough fall during his senior year. They had called him in from class and Casey literally had to calm him down, driving the car herself. But just as it was now, Marti had come out with a few bruises and a broken rib.

He ran his palms over his face roughly. "You okay?" he heard a familiar voice say. He brought his hands down.

"Casey."

She sent him a small smile, edging closer on the bench. She reached her hand out and softly ran it over his back. They remained quiet for a while. He closed his eyes, letting himself be soothed by Casey's caressing.

"Did you find an apartment yet?" he asked quietly. She seemed surprised by the question.

"Oh. No…"

He watched as she looked down and wringed her hands nervously in her lap.

"What is it?" He sat up straighten, wondering why Casey's expression turned mildly panicked.

"Well, I've been meaning to tell you something."

He frowned, already sensing that whatever she was about to say, he was _definitely_ not going to like. "Okay…"

"But you can't get angry," she added hastily.

"_Jeez_, Case. Just say it."

She took a deep breath. "I'm staying home for the summer."

He was right; he most definitely didn't like what she said.

Upon his shocked expression, she rushed on. "Tara's roommate is leaving mid-August and I'd really _really_ like to room with her." Casey looked at him worriedly. "I mean… what else would I do?"

He bit his tongue to keep from saying anything rash. He knew her decision probably made sense, but it _felt_ like a really crappy one.

"I mean, I can't just stay with you until the fall semester," she continued quietly. "I don't even have my own room."

Derek let out a small and wry laugh. He noticed her biting her lip nervously despite the fact that he was avoiding her eyes.

After an agonizing moment, he finally looked at her. "Okay." His face was hard and set, ready to go back inside.

But Casey didn't let him leave. "Okay? What does that mean?"

"It means what you want it to mean," was his cryptic reply. He knew, somewhere deeply buried in the back of his mind, he was acting immature, but he couldn't help it – he felt jilted.

"Derek…" She stepped to follow him but he rushed to the door and entered the building without looking back.

He practically speed walked to the staircase.

"Where've you been?" Lizzie asked as soon as he reentered Edwin's room.

"Ran into an classmate." It was amazing how lying came so easily to him. Despite the fact that he took the stairs, Casey still got there thirty seconds after him.

He moved passed her his younger step-sister and took off his coat, throwing it haphazardly on the chair. He didn't notice the long-forgotten gem fall from the pocket.

"What's this?" Lizzie asked curiously, palming the little jewel he got for Casey.

"It's a friend's," he said quickly. He made a grab for it and shoved it back into his pocket.  
Lizzie gave him a strange look. "Oh-_kay_. I just thought it was pretty. Especially since it had a loop. Is it for a necklace or a bracelet?"

Derek was starting to feel agitated. He should have waited a bit before coming back.

When he noticed that Lizzie was still waiting for an answer, with Casey duly listening as well, he muttered, "a bracelet."

Casey's eyebrows knitted imploringly.

"Like a charm bracelet?"

"What's with the Spanish inquisition, MacDonald?"

Lizzie looked indignant. "What's with Mr.Grumpy-all-of-a-sudden?"

He was saved from replying when Nora chose that moment to come in. "So when are you guys heading back?"

"I guess until Edwin gets out… maybe a bit more," Casey said, looking relieved at the interruption too.

Derek nodded. "I have my last exam next week, though. So a few days, at most."

"And you, Case?' Lizzie asked, linking her arm with Casey's.

"I finished yesterday, but Derek has the car."

"Why didn't you bring all your stuff then?" Marti asked, bouncing on Edwin's bed.

Derek frowned.

"Well, we kinda came as fast as we could. Packing wouldn't have been a great idea."

Lizzie nodded. "Especially with your obsessively long packing procedures." She made air quotes for the last part, almost earning a smile from Derek.

"Shut up, Liz," she muttered half-heartedly, her lips quirking slightly.

Lizzie laughed and proceeded in hugging her. "I'm glad you're spending the summer with us."

Derek felt his insides tighten. _Was he the last one to find out?_

By the time the clock hit two in the morning, they were heading out. Edwin was staying for the night, just so that they can make sure everything was okay for an early release in the morning. Marti was very nearly sleeping against Derek as they walked to the car. He buckled her into the backseat and was glad to see Casey getting into his dad's car.

He heard his little sister stir in the back. "The gem was for Casey's charm bracelet?"

The question caught him off guard but he was too tired to think about it. "Yeah."

"Why didn't you give it to her?"

Derek sighed. "I forgot… at first. And then, I don't know." He paused. "Didn't think she'd want it," he admitted.

Marti frowned. "Why not?"

"Because Casey's complicated, Smarti."

"I still think you should give it to her," she persisted sleepily.

Derek raised an eyebrow, Marti always had interesting reasoning. "And why is that?"

"She looks sad."

0

There was a knock on the door. He knew she'd try to mend things as soon as possible. She probably saw her chance when she noticed his lights were still on.

He was in Edwin's room, which used to be his room. Casey was in her old room, now a simple guestroom. At least they hadn't needed to fight over whose room would remain the same – Nora and his dad had decided to simultaneously change both rooms for that precise reason.

"Derek?" he heard her softly say against the door. He exhaled loudly but moved out of his bed and opened the door. She stood in the doorway, wearing one of his old t-shirts (which he guessed she did to purposely torture him) and her pajama shorts.

_She looks sad._

Marti really was way observant for her age.

Derek moved to let her in. She seemed surprised at the gesture.

"Thanks." She sat on the desk chair as he closed the door after her and sat back onto his bed. His old _Death Cab for Cutie_ CD was playing softly in the background. It was already in his brother's stereo when he came in.

He looked at her expectantly. She was biting her lip, her eyes generally fixed on the floor. When she still remained silent after the second song started playing, he sighed.

"Are you just gonna sit there and not talk? 'Cause this could just wait 'til tomorrow."

She finally looked up, a contemplative expression on her face. Then, much to his surprise, she stood up. He didn't think she'd actually take him up on his suggestion. She faced him when she reached the door. Biting her lip again, she mumbled a quiet goodnight before shutting the door behind her.

And he didn't think he'd ever been as confused as he was now.

0

"I can't believe we're actually having breakfast all together," Lizzie laughed, pulling her coat on.

"Why is that so shocking?" Nora scoffed, fastening the light scarf around her neck. "Casey," she called out. "You ready?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm here." She bustled down the stairs and almost tripped on the last step. She immediately rounded on him. "Not a word."

He threw his hands in the air, trying to contain his amusement but when she unwilling broke out into a grin, he couldn't help it. She shook her head and kept walking towards the coat rack, mostly disappointed at herself for caving.

"I'm riding with Derek and Casey," Marti declared as she skipped to the door.

"We should have gotten a van," George said offhandedly. He grabbed his keys from the counter and hastily shooed everyone out the house.

"Can I sit in the front seat, Smerek?" Marti pleaded, flashing her puppy eyes at him.

Derek raised his eyebrows. "Well, how old are you now?"

Marti groaned. "Twelve."

"And how old do you need to be to sit in the front seat, _Smarti_?" He opened the backseat door for her, gesturing for her to go in. She didn't protest.

"Thirteen," she mumbled reluctantly.

"_Oh_," he looked at Casey in mock-reflection. "Wait, how old did she say she was?"

"Twelve…" Casey mused. "Doesn't sound like thirteen."

"No, no, it doesn't."

"_I get it_," Marti sang from inside the car, making both him and Casey laugh.

Aside from the mandatory wheel chair ride to the front doors, picking up Edwin from the hospital was rather uneventful. They arrived at the restaurant at half past twelve. It was fuller than they expected.

"No need to worry about looking weird, then," Casey remarked when they all settled on a table. Their food came quickly enough. That was the great thing about breakfast joints. It was usually _fast_.

"Hey Derek," Edwin said, after swallowing a large mouthful of eggs.

"Hmm?"

"Do you have my Arcade Fire CD?" It wasn't an accusation really. Derek did remember having borrowed it some time during his last visit and forgetting to give it back, but he hadn't listened to it in a while.

"Yeah, maybe… but I can't remember where I put it. Maybe it's still in my car."

Casey shook her head absently, eyeing her eggs skeptically. "It's in your room."

Edwin looked confused. "My room?"

Casey seemed to realize her slip. "Uh, no… Derek's. I was studying there the other day and I saw it."

Derek hoped she sounded more convincing in their ears than his.

"You were studying in Derek's room?" Lizzie asked, her eyes narrowed in question.

Casey shrugged, and Derek was happy to see that her nonchalance felt genuine. "I was tired of the library and the place where I'm staying at, well, it's not very ideal."

This seemed to have erased Lizzie's doubt. "Oh, yeah. The vultures."

"I can't believe you actually let her use your room," Edwin said in disbelief.

"Well, she corrects my essays – so it's a trade-off." It wasn't a lie either. Casey often proof-read his papers and it more often than not made the whole difference. "Venturi's don't give freebies."

"Here, here!" Edwin cheered, lifting his juice cup. George laughed but upon Nora's disapproving glare, he stopped.

"Well, that's the last time I'm getting anything for you from Timmies," Lizzie muttered sardonically.

"I said medium-runny, didn't I? I mean, this," she pointed grudgingly to her eggs. "This is _not_ medium-runny, it's _runny_. Like, really runny."

"It's not a big deal, Drama Queen. You eat it with your toast anyway," Derek cut in, all too aware of Casey's insane need of having food prepared in a wildly precise way.

"But it's messy," Casey complained.

"No one's staring, Case," he said sympathetically. He knew better than to sound critical. It usually made her more anal-retentive if he was. He didn't notice the other occupants on the table watching the interaction with rapt interest. They were also well-versed in Casey's high-maintenance needs. They just hadn't discovered a way to deal with her if a plate went wrong.

Clearly, Derek had.

She let it go almost immediately, in fact.

"Why are you guys different?" Edwin actually stopped eating. "It's freaking me out. I've been through enough trauma for the week, I don't need anymore." He made a show of looking scandalized, which made Marti laugh.

"Funny, Ed," Derek deadpanned.

"Well, I think they've just gone past all the fighting. They're mature adults now," Nora said in their defense, beaming up at them.

"Which is more than we can say for you," his dad said breezily.

"Hey!"

"You were asking for it, Ed," Lizzie supplied.

"Way to treat the injured."

The rest of the meal passed in a similar fashion. It made him remember how much he missed being home. He'd just have to make an extra effort this summer and be more present. Casey's summer plans sprang back to his mind suddenly.

It did make sense. Casey has had an unlucky streak in roommates. He didn't blame her for being a bit more skeptic this time around. And truthfully, Tara was possibly the most ideal roommate she could ever wish for.

And moving in with him for the summer might have been too big of a step.

The logical solution would have been to stay at home for summer.

He felt someone nudge him.

"You finished, Smerek?" his little sister asked him, gesturing to his mostly empty plate. At his nod, a hand grabbed his plate and walked away. He hadn't noticed the waitress.

After paying the bill, they once again split. Lizzie switched with Marti this time, settling comfortably in his backseat.

"I have to fill up my gas," he stated, starting the engine.

"Can you pass by the gas station with those good small frog candies?" Casey asked.

He groaned. "Seriously?"

"Please, please, please!"

Lizzie laughed.

"It's like 15 minutes away from here."

"I'll pay for gas again?"

He exhaled. "Fine, Princess. You'll get your candy frogs."

She fidgeted in her chair in giddiness. He never understood her love for those candies. When they reached the gas station and he finished pumping his car, Casey practically jumped out of her seat. She was rummaging through her purse when her eyes widened.

"Oh crap." She sent Derek a sheepish look. "I think I forgot my wallet at home."

Derek groaned again. He should have known. He grabbed her purse, not believing her. She rolled her eyes but didn't stop him from looking through her bag. When he came up short, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet.

"You owe me."

She nodded in mock-sternness before scurrying off. Once she was in the store, Lizzie spoke up.

"So what's up with you and Casey?"

Derek kept his face passive. "What do you mean?"

"All that chumminess… _you know_," she continued.

Derek sighed, realizing that denying it all would be foolish. "I don't know. We just got closer, I guess. Things just changed."

Lizzie nodded, playing with her necklace. Her next comment almost made him choke on his own saliva. "So you guys aren't fornicating or anything?"

"Jesus, Liz. _Fornicating_?" He didn't know whether to laugh or be mortified. She seemed to have enjoyed his shocked reaction.

"You see, I'm convinced you guys already have, but Ed firmly believes you didn't. I think he has doubts now. Serves him right. He owes me fifty bucks," she said gleefully, as if it was the most casual thing to say. Derek was still staring and gaping at her when Casey opened the door.

She handed Derek the receipt. "I'll pay you back at home if you want," she said quietly, busying herself with buckling up and putting her newly bought goods on the floor. He didn't think she noticed his stunned expression, which was a good thing, but definitely fruit for thought. She seemed distracted.

He started the car and drove mostly in silence, not knowing whether to address Lizzie's revelation or Casey's silence. With the car parked, Lizzie was the first one out.

"Case?"

She paused in her movements.

"You okay?"

Her features softened at his words. She stared back at him, a tiny smile suddenly appearing on her face.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she answered softly. She leaned up and kissed chastely on the lips. He didn't have time to contemplate the sudden turn of events; she was already out the car and halfway across the front lawn.

0

After knocking on the guestroom door and finding it vacant, he knew she'd be in the kitchen. She was drinking a cup of juice and palming a small picture reverently in her hand. It looked strangely familiar. When she placed it back on the surface of the counter, he was able to make out the ruffled edges and the black and white colors in the semi-darkened room.

"Did you really lose it?" her voice broke through the silence. He sat on the stool next to her.

"No." It was one of those lame photo booth pictures you take for your library card.

Actually, that was exactly why they had taken the pictures in the first place. She wanted to make a card for the city library and dragged him along with her. Casey had pressed the eight photo option instead of four – two for him and two for her. It was her idea of posing with him, and nearly all of the pictures with both of them mostly consisted of her pulling him forward and a tangle of limbs.

Except for that one. He had kept it, stashed it away in his wallet and claimed it lost, much to Casey's dismay.

"You've had it in your wallet since then?" she said softly, a strange tone in her voice.

He nodded solemnly. He saw no point in lying.

"On purpose?" She sounded sad, but he couldn't tell if it was just his imagination.

He ran his hands through his hair. He managed to croak out a low, "yeah."

Her eyes were still fixed him and it was starting to unnerve him. It was like she could see right through him.

"Derek…"

He looked up, completely oblivious with what to say.

"I… uh… I just…" she sputtered, struggling for words. He waited patiently.

After a long pause, she blurted. "It's just such a monumental thing… this thing I'm feeling, it's big... You and me, we're big… you know? I mean, if it was just about the sex – then we'd just do it, get it over with, let the phase pass. But this," she gestured wildly between them, "this is big."

He nodded, willing her to continue because he wasn't sure where she was going with it.

"And it's scary," she said simply, her shoulders slumping. "There's so much to consider. We're not just any guy and any girl, we're Casey and Derek. We're step-siblings. And I think I freaked and I got all flaky on you, and I'm sorry."

"Casey-"

"_No_, wait. I'm sorry because I've been so unfair to you. _God_, you had a picture of me in your wallet for a whole year. I'm so stupid." With slight panic, he noticed her eyes welling up. "And I kept thinking you thought _we_ – you and I, weren't a big deal and I thought we were–"

"_Casey_," he said more firmly this time, unable to keep the intensity from his voice. Her eyes were wide and slightly glazed. "I always thought you and me were a big deal."

He closed the gap between them and gently pressed his lips to hers. "And I'm alright with that if you are."

0

_**Epilogue**_

"No way," Derek protested, not letting Casey pull him to the photo booth.

"You totally owe me!"

"Case, we're on a quest, remember? Your dinosaur charm? I'm not home for long, you know," Derek tried, giving her his best face of reason.

"But you already gave me the gem. I can live without the dinosaur."

Derek rolled his eyes. "But you didn't put the gem on the bracelet."

"Well it's in my wallet."

Derek quirked an eyebrow. "Doesn't that _make_ us even?"

"Uh, no," she retorted fervently. "You kept that picture, even when you knew I wanted it, and you never told me. That's three crimes."

"How exactly is that three crimes?" She was slowly inching him closer to the booth.

"One: you lied about losing it. Two: you willingly kept something from me when you knew I wanted it. Three: you never said anything."

Her hands came up to his chest. "Please?" And then she was smiling deviously up at him. "You won't regret it, I promise."

He couldn't help smirking, finally giving in and watched her as she slipped in the money. He gently pushed her in before she pressed anything. He inserted a few more coins in and pressed the twelve photo button.

At least he was going to milk it.

"What did you press?" Casey asked dubiously, not sitting down just yet. He quickly took the seat and pulled her onto his lap.

"Doesn't matter," he said before crushing his lips against hers.

"I bet you didn't-" But her speech was cut short when the first flash lit the booth. He still hadn't stopped kissing her.

She tried to pry her lips away from him. "Can't you be serious for thirty seconds?"

"Here?" He pulled his head back and flashed her another one of his famous smirks. "Not really." And then he was kissing her again.

She responded for a half a second before pulling away again. "Just one smiley one, please?"

He shook his head, rolling the stool so that the camera had a clearer view of them. "Where's the fun in that?" he mumbled against her lips.

Her palms came up to his cheeks and she finally managed to pull herself properly away.

"You're impossible," she said, unable to keep from laughing. The camera was still shooting away. "Just one?"

"Just one," he conceded, turning to face the camera. Her smile broadened even more as the camera took a clear shot.

"Happy now?"

She nodded giddily, letting him kiss her again. After two or three more flashes, the camera stopped. It was a few moments before they got out.

Casey adjusted her clothes promptly and flattened out her hair. She looked practically impeccable. Derek on the other hand, just exited the booth without any adjustments.

"Honestly, Derek," Casey huffed, looking around them in panic before fixing Derek's hair. When she was satisfied, she pulled back and admired her work.

"I liked you better in the booth."

"_Ass_," she started to say, but the sound of the booth printing the photos stumped the rest of her response. She pulled them out. Derek wanted to laugh at her conflicted expression. It's like she wasn't sure whether to be amused or appalled by the blatant inappropriateness of some of the pictures. One of them had a shot of the back of her head and her hand clearly and _deeply_ woven in Derek's hair.

He didn't know they'd look this hot kissing.

Casey seemed to have paused at the picture right above the only one they were looking at the camera. They were staring at each other, a tiny smile playing on her lips. He noticed his arm folding at the end of the frame – it was the hand that was around her waist. His other hand, however, the one behind them, was pulling a strand of hair away. He didn't remember doing it, but the camera definitely didn't miss it.

"I want that one," she said simply, her eyes still transfixed on the picture.

"You can have all of them, babe." He kissed her on the temple and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "I like the one I have."

She pretended to scoff. "Well, you committed three crimes for it… you obviously liked it."

"Okay, can we go home now?"

Her expression turned incensed. "What about my dinosaur charm?"

**FIN.**

**Author's Note**: That's the end, fellows. Yes, I fear it might be a bit anti-climactic, but I'm all wiped out for this story. Hopefully it's not as bad as how I read it.

Thanks for everyone who stuck around and followed the story. For those who left reviews. I've enjoyed and appreciated each and every one of them. So thank you.

Keep the Dasey love going.


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